A Collision of Worlds
by HyruleHero654
Summary: After Princess Zelda is dragged through a strange portal, Link gives chase. He ends up in a strange land where he meets another young boy named Link, who also claims to be a hero. This Link's Zelda is also taken, and the two team up, chasing whatever keeps kidnapping Zeldas. A team of legendary heroes is assembled to take down the darkest enemy any of them have ever faced.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Link, the Hero of Twilight and Savior of Hyrule, was having a bad day. It had all started that morning when one of his servants had brought him a letter. A letter from Princess Zelda. Now, Link had no problem with the princess of Hyrule. After basically saving the world together, they had become good friends. No, it was what that letter disclosed that had caused Link's day to go awry.

Zelda's letter had informed Link that he was required, as a noble, to attend a ball that night. Honestly, Link was becoming more and more sick of being a noble. The only reason he was one in the first place was because after he had saved Hyrule, the general population had insisted their hero deserved some kind of reward. Zelda had happily complied, offering Link a huge private estate, an enormous number of rupees, and the title Duke. Link had accepted without a second thought.

But now, Link was beginning to hate his decision. He had so much work, all the time. Fancy dinners to attend, royal councils to go to, late night horseback rides where your horse is only allowed to go five miles an hour. It was exhausting. Link longed for his adventuring days where he could race Epona across Hyrule Field as fast as she could run, the wind rippling through his dirty, disheveled blonde hair. The rushes of adrenaline while fighting for his life against a bokoblin or moblin, or even a fierce dungeon boss. The sensory overload of smells, sounds, and new colors while being a wolf. The good old days.

But those days were over now, and Duke Ordonia was required to attend a ball tonight. A ball! Out of all the ridiculous festivities to be required to attend! A ball! Where you dance! Link was a goatherd, a swordsman, maybe even a hero, but definitely not a dancer. Link had never once set foot upon a dance floor in his entire life, and now he would be judged by countless other lords and ladies that had been trained their whole life for stuff like this.

Suddenly, Link's doorbell rang, shaking him out of his sulking. "Open the door," he grumbled to one of his servants.

"Yes, sir," the servant replied quickly. Usually, Link was very kind to his servants, for he knew what it was like to have almost no money. In fact, Link hosted dinner for all of them every other Saturday, both to make them feel more welcome, and because eating by himself every night was kind of lonely.

But whenever Link was in a bad mood, his servants knew to do as they were told as quickly as possible. Today was one of those days. The servant Link had addressed, a young girl with black hair and green eyes named Kass, scurried downstairs to open the door. Link listened to the sound of the door opening, Kass greeting the visitor and inviting them inside, and the sound of footsteps drawing closer to Link's study. Link quickly opened a book, pretending to have been busy. The door opened, and Link looked up to see who it was, trying not to look too annoyed.

It was Princess Zelda. She looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"What?" Link muttered.

"I see you're quite busy," she said simply. "Seeing as your book is upside down."

Link glanced down at the words, saw she was right, and flipped it over. "It is not!" he cried indignantly.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Sure. I came over because I assumed you'd be doing...this." She gestured to Link's annoyed expression and messy desk.

"Doing what?" Link grumped.

"Sulking around," Zelda elaborated. "The way you did before the Council's meeting. And the dinner Lady Maurice hosted. And…"

"Okay, I get it!" Link interrupted. "Why come over if you knew I was doing it?"

"Because I'm going to help you get your act together," Zelda stated firmly.

"My act does not need any getting together," Link mumbled before beginning to read his book. The book he had picked up just so happened to be about dancing. Link flung it across the room.

"Come on, Link," Zelda sighed, casually dodging the flying book. "I'm not trying to be mean. I just wanted to teach you how to dance. I don't want you to embarrass yourself. I really don't."

Link considered the request for a minute. "Fine," he decided. He got up, and followed Zelda down to his own ballroom, a room Link had never been in, despite it being his house. It was much too extravagant for Link's likings, though he wasn't exactly in the mood to like anything. The crystal chandeliers were too shiny, the wooden floors too smooth. But Zelda walked right into the middle of the room and gestured for Link to join her.

Link begrudgingly approached the princess. She smiled gently. "First, I'll teach you how to ballroom dance. That's the most common dance."

"There are different kinds?" Link moaned.

"Yes, Link," Zelda sighed. "Here, hold your hands out like this."

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. Zelda showed Link how to do the man's part of the dance, and then would act as his partner once he sort of understood. Link's servants grabbed some instruments and began playing once Link had gotten the hang of it. And, though Link would never admit it, he hadn't hated it. In fact, he almost enjoyed it. Almost. Not quite, mind you. But the spinning and throwing and catching and almost soaring over the glossy floor was quite fun. Link found himself smiling, Zelda smiling back, as they spun and jumped and flew across the dance floor.

Once Zelda deemed Link to be good enough, she politely excused herself. "If you think having to attend is bad," she said, "just imagine having to plan it all!"

Link laughed. "And that is why I'm the hero and you're the princess."

Zelda smiled. "Well, see you later tonight."

"See you," Link replied. He closed the door after Zelda exited. He turned to one of his servants. "Ready Epona. I'm going for a ride."

"But, sir," the servant objected, "won't you get all dirty? You haven't got time to shower again."

Link sighed. "Yes, of course you're right. I'll just go read, I guess."

"My many apologies, sir," the servant apologized.

Link shrugged. "Not your fault." He trudged back up to his study and grabbed a book on wolves. He enjoyed books about them, only because he loved picking apart just how much of the information was incorrect. It always made him feel better, knowing just how stupid some highly respected, rich, bratty, scholars could be. Some of whom he would be seeing tonight.

Link was in the middle of a particularly dumb book about how wolves can only see white and black when Kass entered the room. "Your outfit for tonight is ready, sir," she said.

Link smiled. "Thanks, Kass. I'll be right in."

Kass smiled back. "My pleasure, sir. Glad to see your time with the princess made you feel better. Perhaps you two will be spending more time together in the future?"

Link smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid my heart has already been taken, if that's what you think. It's quite funny, actually. As the hero, I could have anyone I want...except the one to whom my heart belongs."

Kass looked confused. "I'm sorry to hear that, sir. I'm sure she'll come around eventually."

Link nodded. He shook his head quickly. "No matter. I have more important things to be doing that thinking about things that will never be."

"Of course, sir," Kass agreed quickly. She led Link to his room, where a perfectly stiff suit was waiting for him to put on.

Link scowled when he saw it. "I swear. Ganondorf couldn't kill me, but fancy clothes will have no problem."

Kass snickered before quickly recovering herself. "Well, Epona is ready when you are, sir."

"Thanks, Kass," Link replied. "Tell everyone else thanks for me too. I'd do it myself, but I'm afraid I don't have time."

"Of course, sir," Kass said with a nod. "Can I do anything else for you?"

"No, that's all for tonight," Link answered. "I'll probably be back really late tonight, so tell the butler to head on to bed. I can let myself in." In truth, Link wanted to run around on Epona after the ball. It would be so dark that only he, with his enhanced night vision from his time as a wolf, would be able to see. No one else would be awake, so the hero would be free to do as he wished.

Kass smiled. "As you wish, sir." With that, she exited her master's room and closed the door gently. Link turned to the suit before him and sighed. The sleeves were ridiculously frilly. The collar was life-threateningly tight. The belt was covered in more jewels than Link had thought existed in Hyrule. But the sword Link was required to carry was the worst. It was a thin rapier without a proper sheath. The hilt was completely gold and shiny. The blade was so thin that it bent when Link waved it around. Link was certain no one could win a fight with a flimsy sword like this. It was completely impractical. Link wished he could carry around the Master Sword, or even his Ordon Sword, instead of this thing. Which he did. Link always tucked the Ordon Sword underneath whatever silly costume he was required to wear. As a warrior, Link always made sure he was ready to fight. He would've used the Master Sword, but Zelda had insisted he return it to the Sacred Grove once Hyrule was saved.

The one part of Link's outfit he didn't hate was the necklace he always kept tucked underneath whatever collared shirt he was forced to wear. The necklace itself was simple. It was a silver locket shaped like a Hylian shield. But it was what Link kept inside it that was so important. Inside, Link always kept the key to his wolf form, the Twilight crystal. Midna had given it to him the day before she left. Link kept it for two reasons. One, he kept it in case he ever needed his other form again. Two, he kept it because it reminded him of Midna. The Twilight Princess who had stolen his heart. Link would've liked to keep the crystal outside of a locket, but he knew people would ask him what it was. And as of right now, Link's other form was a secret, and the hero would prefer to keep it that way.

Finally, after fighting with his clothes for a good half an hour, Link was ready to leave. He waved goodbye to his butler, who saluted him, and headed out toward his horse, Epona. Link almost felt worse for her than he did for himself. She was also required to wear stupid getups whenever important meetings were to take place. Today, she had been decked out in a bridle and saddle so covered in feathers, Link wasn't sure how the poor horse was going to breathe.

"Sorry, girl," Link sighed. He rubbed her neck affectionately while checking out the fancy carriage she had been hooked up to. It was green, Link's favorite color, and elaborately decorated. And Link was expected to ride in it, instead of riding his horse. Well, that wasn't happening. Link mounted Epona and kicked her sides, telling her to get going. "I'll hop in the carriage when we're close to Castle Town," Link whispered. "I'll pretend I rode in it the whole way." Epona whinnied, just happy to have Link riding on her again. The pair took off, the empty carriage rattling along behind them.

They raced across Hyrule Field, Link whooping with joy and Epona neighing happily. Link loved the wind whipping his face, the rhythmic pounding of Epona's hooves against the grass. But, all too soon, the outline of Castle Town could be seen on the horizon. Link cursed, stopped Epona, and got in the stupid carriage. He told Epona to walk at a slow pace, as was expected.

Epona whinnied in disagreement.

"Don't yell at me!" Link cried from the uncomfortable, cushioned seat. It was too soft. "Not my idea!"

Epona snorted but began cantering towards the town.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Link leaned his head against the carriage wall in a bored fashion until Epona entered the Castle Town gates. Then he sat himself up, keeping his back straight, and waved at all the citizens of Hyrule Castle Town who had come to see their hero. He kept a smile on his face during the entire procession. This was the one part of stupid noble duties Link didn't hate. He didn't mind waving to everyone. He was happy to be so appreciated. His favorite part was all the children who stared at him with widened eyes, as if they couldn't believe the famous Hero of Twilight was really real.

Today was no different. Link saw countless children sitting on the shoulders of their fathers, their mothers tightly gripping their hands. Link even recognized a few of them he had seen before. But there was one new child here today, in the back of the crowd, that Link was certain hadn't been to these processions before. He looked to be about four or five, with short brown hair and brown eyes. Eyes full of longing. His father had him hoisted onto his shoulders, just like all the others, and Link could see that the poor child was crippled. His right leg was malformed and twisted. The child's mother was holding a pair of crutches.

"Epona, stop!" Link called. Link's loyal steed did as she was told. Link opened the door to his carriage and stepped out. The crowd before him clamored loudly, many young women reaching to touch his hand. Link pulled away from them. He took a step forward, towards the crippled child in the back, and the people standing before him parted, allowing their hero to continue forwards.

They were all murmuring amongst themselves now. What did Link want? What was he doing? Why did he stop? Link didn't answer any questions that were directed towards him. At last, Link came to stand before the crippled child's father. He had also moved out of the way, expecting the hero to pass him by. But Link stopped and turned to face the young boy.

"What is your name?" Link asked him.

The boy's mother started crying, the brightest smile Link had ever seen spreading across her face.

The child looked stunned. He turned around, as if looking for anyone else Link could've possibly been speaking to, but there was no one behind him. "M-my name is Malcolm," he replied quietly. The crowd was silent now.

"Well, Malcolm," Link continued, "is there anything that you want? Anything I can get you?"

Malcolm seemed taken aback. "W-well," he began, thinking hard. His father whispered something into his ear. Malcolm started breathing hard, as though he was sure his request would be shot down. "Well, sir," Malcolm started again. "The doctor says my leg can be fixed. B-but mommy doesn't have enough rupees. D-do you have enough rupees, sir?"

Link smiled. "I'm certain I do. How many rupees do you need?" he asked the father.

The father was crying now too. "The surgery costs 1,000 rupees."

Link smiled. To him, 1,000 rupees was next to nothing. In fact, he carried that much on him on a regular basis. He unclipped his wallet from his belt and held it out to the mother. "In here are 1,000 rupees. Feel free to keep the wallet as well. I'm sure it's worth something."

The mother took it from him gingerly, as though she feared Link would rip it out of her hands. "Thank you," she sobbed. "Thank you, hero."

"It is my pleasure, milady," Link answered with a slight bow. He turned to Malcolm. "You're going to get your leg fixed."

Malcolm looked stunned. "I'll be able to run, daddy?" he asked.

"Yes, Malcolm," the father whispered. "You will be able to run."

"I'm sure you'll run faster than a horse someday," Link said with a kind smile. With that, he returned to his carriage, the crowd still deathly silent. As Link made his way through the parted crowd, one person began to clap loudly, followed by another and another and another until the entire crowd was applauding their hero. Link smiled broadly as he mounted his carriage. "Onwards, Epona!" he cried, and Epona continued forward. The crowd continued their cheering until Link was well on his way towards the stables inside Hyrule Castle's walls.

He left Epona in her assigned slot. He rubbed her neck. "We'll get this silly stuff off of you as soon as possible, alright? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I have to go make a fool of myself."

Epona snickered in her own horsey fashion. Link saluted her and made his way up to Hyrule Castle's dining hall. A butler opened the heavy, wooden door. All the other nobles were already present. "Ah, Duke Ordonia," one of the older nobles, a man named Lord Tustain, said sarcastically as Link entered. "So glad you decided to show up."

"Well, I got a bit hung up outside," Link answered calmly, taking his seat near the end of the table.

"Doing what, exactly?" Lord Tustain demanded.

"Hero business," Link replied. "Paid for a surgery for a crippled child."

"You just gave out rupees?" another noble cried out. "For nothing?"

"Yes, I did," Link confirmed. "The child needed it."

Lord Tustain sighed. "No, he didn't. The child would've survived."

Link was angry now, but he bit his tongue to keep from lashing out.

Princess Zelda spoke up. "Lord Tustain, are you suggesting that the child deserved to be deprived of all childish joys? Deprived of the ability to run and play with his friends? Simply because he was born into less money than you?"

"I am suggesting no such thing," Lord Tustain seethed, glaring at Link. "Are you, princess, suggesting I was born into my money? I work hard for it, every day! Harder than Duke Ordonia did for his! You gave him a fortune for nothing!"

Link narrowed his eyes. "Without me, Hyrule would still be covered in twilight. You would be enslaved to the usurper king, Zant. Do you have any idea how many times I risked my life for this kingdom? And you say I did nothing to earn my rupees!"

Lord Tustain said nothing else but kept his eyes on Link. If looks could kill, Link would've died right there.

But they couldn't, and Link had won that argument as far as he was concerned. Link smirked and served himself a plate of food. He ate as slowly as he could, which was very hard. Eating in a dignified manner in general was nearly impossible. After spending so much time as a wolf, Link had developed a bad habit of ripping apart meat and chewing it loudly. He did his best to break that habit, but his canine instincts were still active, making it incredibly difficult. Tonight, Link only took small bites and forced himself to keep his mouth closed as he chewed. No one said anything else during the meal. Once it was over, Zelda gestured for the servants of the castle to come clear the table.

The princess stood once the table was clean. "I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight. It a privilege to host this ball. I hope you all enjoy yourselves." She raised her glass. "Feel free to eat, drink, and be merry!"

Everyone else cheered, raised their glasses, and repeated, "Eat, drink, and be merry!" Link didn't know how anyone could eat anything else after that huge meal without throwing up.

All guests present allowed their princess to lead them down many winding hallways and staircases and into the ballroom. There was a buffet table in the left side of the room, filled with countless small desserts and drinks. Link had no doubt that by the end of the night, several of the younger nobles would be passed out by that table. They disgusted him. Drinking that much expensive wine, when some people could scarcely afford to feed themselves cheap and tasteless food for one night. The rest of the room was barren, reserved for dancing, save for a small stage set up for the musicians. Almost as soon as everyone had entered and the doors were closed, the musicians picked up their instruments and began playing a peaceful, slow song.

Lords and ladies grabbed each other's hands and began dancing with an air of professionalism. Link felt hopelessly overwhelmed. But Princess Zelda approached him, a bright smile on her face. "May I have the pleasure of dancing with you, O Hero of Twilight?"

Link bowed graciously, and offered Zelda his arm, "The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness." He was thankful Zelda was there to help him dance. The pair walked onto the dance floor. All the other lords and ladies cleared the way for their hero and their princess. Many lords scowled as Link passed them, holding hands with Princess Zelda. But the ladies fawned over him, champagne glasses in hand, insisting he dance with them next. Link and Zelda ignored them all. Link grabbed Zelda's waist the way he had been taught, feeling slightly uncomfortable, and began dancing. They began slowly at first, Zelda whispering the next steps into Link's ear. But soon, Link got the hang of it. They went faster and faster, the musicians adjusting their song to the couple's movements. They whirled across the floor, Princess Zelda spending more time in the air than on the ground. She laughed each time Link caught her, and Link smiled back. All the ladies watched in awe. All the lords muttered to each other about how they could've done better.

At last, Link caught Zelda one more time, and set her down. He was breathing hard. Who knew dancing could be so tiring? "What a wonderful dance, Link!" Zelda cheered as the pair exited the dance floor.

"Thanks, princess," Link replied. He grabbed a glass of water.

Lord Tustain approached Zelda. "May I have a dance?" he asked, holding out his arm.

Zelda smiled, but Link could tell it was fake, and took the older man's arm. Lord Tustain led the princess away, sneering at Link.

Link rolled his eyes.

Someone gently tapped at his shoulder. It was one of the younger ladies, a blonde haired, brown eyed girl named Lady Maurice. She was clearly drunk, as she was leaning heavily on the buffet table. "Care to dance, hero?" she slurred.

"Of course, milady," Link practically growled, offering Lady Maurice a stiff arm.

All of the other ladies cheered Lady Maurice on as she was led onto the dance floor. Maurice giggled as Link put his hand on her waist. Link scowled. He began dancing slowly, Lady Maurice following his lead. And despite her condition, Lady Maurice wasn't a bad dancer. The fact that she could remain standing at all impressed Link. They danced, but Link didn't speed up the way he had with Zelda. He threw Lady Maurice a few times, but she would scream each time he did, so Link quickly quit doing so.

Eventually, Link had had enough. He set his partner down and politely excused himself. As soon as he stepped off the dance floor, yet another lady approached him. Link sighed to himself, though at least this one wasn't intoxicated. "May I have a dance?" she asked him timidly. Link spotted a bunch of other ladies encouraging her from the other side of the room. Perhaps she had been dared to go ask the hero for a dance?

Link held out his arm as was expected. "The pleasure is mine."

The lady giggled girlishly.

But their dance was ended quickly by the sound of a scream. Link freed his arm and whirled around, quickly unsheathing his Ordon sword. It was Princess Zelda. She had been off dancing with another man, but was now suspended in the air, held by invisible chains. She struggled against her bonds but couldn't move at all.

"Zelda!" Link cried. But what could he do? He couldn't even hope to get up that high! Link looked around for anything that could help, but there was nothing.

A cold voice began laughing. It possessed an air of certainty and power that combined into a tone that ensured that anyone standing against the speaker was doomed to fail. Link searched for its source, but it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "You can't hope to save her now, hero!" it sneered.

Link growled. He remained tense, waiting for some enemy to jump out at him. But instead, a strange portal appeared behind Princess Zelda. She screamed again, and thrashed some more, but it was hopeless. She was being sucked in.

The portal was nothing like Link had ever seen. The outside edge looked like it was made of ethereal, coiled ropes. One of the ropes was a bright white, so white it seemed to glow. The other was completely black, so black it almost sucked light out of the room. They wound together in a strange braid of white and black, light and dark, good and evil. Inside the ghostly ropes' circle was a glossy, black surface. But its perfect, uninterrupted darkness was ruined by cracks of white light that seemed to be trying to escape from the blackness.

"Link!" Zelda cried desperately. "The Master Sword! That's what you need! This portal, this tear in reality will still be here! The Master Sword will be able to reopen it! All you have to do is-"

"Silence!" the all-powerful, cold voice called over Zelda's desperate plea. Zelda's mouth snapped shut, though her eyes were still screaming. "If you so much as approach the Blade of Evil's Bane, hero, you will meet your death."

Link snickered. "Death threats. So original. Definitely haven't heard that one before."

The voice seemed taken aback by Link's sarcasm. After a second of hesitation, it continued. "I'm not telling you _not_ to go there, hero. If you wish to die, go right ahead. It will make my job a whole lot easier."

Link opened his mouth to shoot back a retort but ended up snarling as Zelda began being absorbed by the cracked portal. Zelda was still struggling against her unseen bonds, but to no avail. Besides vibrating slightly, the princess was unable to move as she was pulled in. Link watched in fury until all of Zelda was gone, and then the portal abruptly collapsed on itself, as though it had never been there before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Link wanted to save the princess as soon as possible. He knew where he was headed next. The Sacred Grove. "Out of my way," he growled to the ladies who had surrounded him, asking him countless questions he didn't have the answer to. They backed off immediately.

"Some hero you are, Ordonia," Lord Tustain sneered as Link ran past him on his way to the door.

"Like you could've done better," Link shot back, not even bothering to look at the older noble. Link made his way down to the stable, where Epona was waiting. Link explained the situation to his horse as he took off all of her ridiculous gear. Once it was all off, Link opened up the stable, and Epona took off, running as fast as she could.

The pair raced across Hyrule Field, though Link did not delight in the journey this time. He kept his head down, urging Epona to go faster and faster. At last, Epona arrived at the cliffside in Faron Woods that led to the Sacred Grove.

In order to reach the grove, Link would need to traverse several platforms hanging off the cliffside. Whatever was below them was so far down, Link couldn't even see it. But the hero didn't have time to go ask Rusl for the golden Cucco that would allow him to cross in Hylian form. With a sigh, Link pulled his locket out of shirt, and opened it. He dumped the Twilight crystal into his bare palm, the transformation taking place as soon as the stone touched Link's skin. With a shake, Link stood up once more, now in the form of a wolf.

"Good luck, Link," Epona whinnied as Link began jumping from perilous platform to perilous platform in order to make it to the Sacred Grove.

"Thanks, Epona," Link growled back. "I'll be back soon, with the Master Sword."

"I shall await your return," Epona promised, stamping her hoof to emphasize her point. Link arrived in the Sacred Grove without even stumbling once. Thankfully, there was a strong wind blowing. Link waited a few seconds, absorbing all the new smells and colors he had been living without for so long now. The bridge turned with the wind, and Link crossed onto it. He waited until it turned back again and crossed onto the grassy platform. Unfortunately, the stupid tree limbs that looked suspiciously like clubs were still there. Link waited until the first swung all the way to the right, climbed onto the rope connecting his platform with the next, and hurriedly yet carefully made his way across. He repeated the process with the second tree club and entered the Sacred Grove. Link looked around, sniffing intensely, searching for the Skull Kid that lived within the grove. He was sleeping in the tree just in front of Link. Though Link could not actually see him, his wolf's nose confirmed the imp's presence.

"Skull Kid!" Link barked, startling the playful creature awake.

It recovered itself and jumped out of the tree. It landed nimbly on the ground before Link. "Ah, the Blade of Evil's Bane's master returns. What could you possibly need now?" It laughed. "I hope not the sword again! No one has ever wielded it twice in one lifetime!"

Link snorted. "I've done a lot of things no one's ever done before. Show me the way. I'm in a hurry!"

"Where are you going?" Skull Kid asked. "Why the big rush? Certainly, you have time to play!"

"I don't have time!" Link snarled. "Not this time! Last time, I could afford a few minutes. But not now! Princess Zelda was captured and sent through this weird portal. Every second I waste here could result in her death."

Skull Kid hesitated. "I see. Follow me."

"Thank you," Link replied, heaving a sigh of relief. "Once this is over, I promise I'll come play, alright?"

"You will?" Skull Kid asked, starting to walk.

"Of course," Link promised. "But I must save the princess first."

Skull Kid nodded. He headed through the Sacred Grove, Link following along behind. They passed through the disorienting woods quickly, and Link was very pleased he had asked for assistance. It would've taken him hours to pass through alone. Skull Kid stopped in the last area of the grove, filled with a circle of tree stumps of varying heights. "See you later," it said sadly. "I expect your promise to be repaid as soon as possible!"

"You have my word," Link answered with a nod. "And it just so happens that my word is the word of a hero. Sounds pretty reliable to me."

The Skull Kid laughed before teleporting away. Link made his way into the real Sacred Grove. He paused on the Triforce symbol engraved in the ground. The statues were still in their spots, though the gateway leading to the Master Sword was closed. Link growled in annoyance. He'd have to do that stupid puzzle again! Nonetheless, Link began howling the melody he remembered that had initiated the trial. Zelda later told him it was called Zelda's Lullaby. Link didn't see how it was a lullaby. Sure, it sounded peaceful, but it brought back infuriating memories of hours spent moving from platform to platform trying in vain to get the statues back to their spots. That song was more likely to give the hero anxiety than lull him to sleep.

Halfway through Link's howling, he heard a rumbling sound and felt the ground underneath him shaking. Abruptly ending his performance, Link snapped his eyes open. The statues had come to life again, but the blue light that had previously created their veins now pulsed a bloody shade of red. They stomped their hammers on the ground, and Link tensed. One of them jumped right in front of the hero, and the other jumped right behind him. This had happened before, but before Link hadn't felt so threatened.

"I told you not to approach the Master Sword, hero," the statue before him stated. But its voice was different. Before, it had sounded gravelly and ancient. Now, Link realized with a shudder, the statue possessed the deep and powerful voice of the creature that had taken Zelda. "And yet, here you are," the statue behind him continued, also with the creepy voice. "Looks like I'll just have to kill you now."

Then the fight began. Both statues swung their hammers down at the same time. Link scampered out of the way, the heavy hammers creating a loud thud as they heavily impacted the ground. Link silently cursed his decision to become a wolf, because he was now stuck that way until he got the Master Sword again. One statue slowly approached him, hammer swinging wildly. Link ran around the far side, avoiding getting hit.

But Link couldn't dodge forever, and he had no doubt that fatigue would not affect the statues. But how was Link supposed to attack a solid chunk of stone? If he was Hylian, he could use his bombs, but as a wolf that wasn't an option. In his current state, Link wasn't sure he could win. His teeth and claws would do nothing against the statues. And even if he beat them, he still had the door to get through in order to reach the Master Sword.

Yet, as Link dodged yet another swinging hammer, an idea began to form in his head. What if, he stood in front of the door, and moved out of the way at the last second? Would the hammer crush the door? Link was willing to bet it would. And, hopefully the hammer would create a hole just big enough for a wolf, but not big enough for the statues. Link would rush through, grab the Master Sword, and get out of there.

"Come at me, you ugly pieces of stone!" Link snarled as he jumped over a hammer.

"What, think you can win, little hero?" the statues said together, their red eyes laughing.

"I'm willing to try," Link replied. He made his way to the door, pretending to just be trying to get out the way of the weapons. Link pressed his back against the door, acting like he had just realized he was trapped.

The statues sneered. "Looks like you're out of time." One statue approached him slowly. Link cowered pathetically against the wall. The statue raised its hammer, preparing for a final, horizontal blow.

Just as the statue began to swing, Link threw himself onto the ground, allowing the weapon to rush over him, completely shattering the door. Stone flew everywhere, and many pieces embedded themselves in Link side, but he shook off the pain. After all, he had been lucky, and all big chunks had flown over his head. The statue was not so fortunate. A huge chunk exploded from the wall and slammed into the statue's head, knocking it over. Its red light faded, it stiffened, and it became a real statue again. The second one realized what was happening and began hurrying to catch Link.

Link ran through the busted door, mentally noting that he didn't have much time. The powerful swing had blown a hole that would easily be big enough for one of the statues. Link hurried up towards the Master Sword's resting place. Just as before, the legendary blade began to glow a bright white as Link approached. A powerful gust of wind emanated from it, but Link refused to be pushed back. He dug his claws into the stone and flattened his ears against his head.

Finally, after a few seconds of Link resisting the wind, the hero could feel the transformation beginning to take place. His body was covered in shadow momentarily. When the darkness cleared up, Link was standing up, Hylian once more and wearing his Hero's clothes, his hands wrapped firmly around the Master Sword's hilt. Link drew the sword from the stone slowly. He felt strange energy rushing through him, analyzing him, as though trying to decide whether or not he deserved the power of the Blade of Evil's Bane. The energy abruptly disappeared, feeling content, and allowed Link to fully pull the sword out.

Then reality came rushing back, and Link heard the second statue charging through the busted door. The hero whipped around and backflipped over its hammer. He sneered. "You certainly did an excellent job of killing me."

"I'm not finished with the process yet," the statue replied.

"Must be a long process," Link shrugged.

"You will die eventually!" the statue snarled.

"Wow, really?" Link snickered. "I had no idea. Thought maybe I'd live forever!"

The statue roared and swung its hammer. Link rolled to the side and struck the stone with the Master Sword out of habit. He hadn't expected it to do anything, but as soon as the blade struck the statue, the red light flowing through it flickered, briefly being replaced by the benevolent blue light it usually was. But then the red light was back, though the statue looked slightly more tired. Link's eyes widened. He could beat this thing!

The statue was even more furious now. It swung sideways, and Link ducked under, but he didn't have enough time to attack. The statue swung again, and Link was forced to roll onto his back. "I have you now!" the statue laughed triumphantly. It raised its hammer over its head, and Link hesitated. What could he do? As the statue brought the hammer down, Link instinctively raised the Master Sword to block. He held the blade with two hands, one on the hilt and the other on the flat of the actual blade, in a feeble attempt to save himself. The hammer made contact with the legendary sword, a dull clang ringing out across the clearing. Link knew he was going to die right there. The hammer was going to break his wrists and then his ribcage and Link was going to die. There was nothing he could do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

But the hammer froze, remaining in contact with the Master Sword. Link knew he hadn't stopped it by himself. He'd barely felt the force of the hammer. The statue was frozen too, though its light was spasming. It blinked between red and blue faster than Link could keep track of. The Master Sword began glowing white as Link pressed it against the hammer, and now the statue remained blue longer than it did red. Finally, the statue flickered red one last time, and then it turned back to blue.

It seemed to realize what it was doing and pulled the hammer off Link quickly. "Many apologies, hero," it sighed in its familiar stony voice. "I couldn't fight it off. The curse...it came so quickly."

"You were cursed?" Link asked, picking himself up off the ground and brushing himself off. "By who?"

"I'm not sure," the statue replied. "And I never saw what it was. It came so fast. One second, I was standing at my post as usual, and the next a raging, evil presence had filled my mind. It was too powerful for me. Only the magic of the Blade of Evil's Bane was enough to expel it from me. Whatever it was, it was more powerful than anything I've ever known."

Link growled. "That's just great. Well, I'll be sure to kick his butt for you."

"I do not think that would be wise, hero," the statue stated seriously.

"That was a joke," Link said quickly. "Anyways, I better go save your friend. He's still being mind controlled or whatever."

"Farewell, hero," the statue replied.

Link waved and headed back into the Sacred Grove. The other statue was still unconscious. Link poked it with the Master Sword a few times, expelling the red light from it. The statue thanked him, and then Link was on his way once again. He hurriedly made his way back towards Epona in wolf form once again.

"I'm back, Epona!" he called to his horse as he jumped from platform to platform.

"Were you successful, Link?" the horse asked as Link approached.

"I was," Link replied. "Now we better get back to Hyrule Castle."

"I shall run faster than the wind," Epona promised.

Link nodded, then returned to his Hylian form. He mounted his loyal steed, and she took off. Epona ran as fast as she could. Trees and boulders whizzed past so fast Link was scarcely certain he had actually seen them.

Within minutes, the pair had made it back to Hyrule Castle Town. A large crowd had gathered inside the gates. "I heard the princess was taken!" someone cried out.

"Is it true, hero?"

"Who took her?"

"What's going on?"

Link raised his hands to call for silence. The crowd quieted at once. "I have everything under control. I once again have the Master Sword." He brandished the holy blade impressively. "I assure you the princess will be rescued soon."

Some people seemed calmed, but most seemed even more anxious. Even though Link felt bad for worrying the people, he would've felt even worse about lying and saying the princess was fine. They had a right to know what was going on. Link urged Epona on through the crowd. He made it through the gates of the castle walls. All the nobles had gone home, it seemed. Cowards. The stables were completely empty. Link walked briskly through the castle, nodding to all the soldiers and servants. He arrived in the ballroom promptly. It looked completely unchanged since he had left, besides the absence of any other person. Tables were still laden with food. A water pitcher was still full. Wine covered the floor from upturned and broken bottles from drunken lords. Even the musicians' instruments were still on the stage. Link pursed his lips as he made his way to the center of the dance floor.

He had realized a huge problem. He had no idea how to reopen the portal. Zelda had promised he could, but Link had no idea how. It could take days for him to figure out what strange action he was supposed to do in order to reopen the portal.

Well, no one was watching, so might as well get started trying. Link drew the Master Sword, and stared at it for a while, hoping it might give him any hints. Nothing. Link waved it around unenthusiastically. Nothing. He sighed.

Then he had an idea. Maybe the eyes or nose of a wolf would be of use. Link grabbed his locket once more and returned to his wolf form. He glanced about the room, checking for anything that seemed different. Yet again, there was nothing to be found. Everything looked and smelled normal. Link growled and called upon the Master Sword in order to return to his Hylian form. He got up off the floor and muttered under his breath.

But then he froze as the air around him began to waver. It was as if his eyes were failing. The ground appeared to bend and twist, yet Link did not feel put off balance. Finally, after a few seconds of everything wobbling, the air before Link...cracked. That's exactly what it looked like. One second, there was solid air in front of the hero, and the next, there was a black crack in its place.

The only explanation Link could come up with was that activating the Master Sword's power by turning back had somehow cracked the world. Link hesitantly stuck his hand towards the crack. With a shout, he was pulled in all the way by some invisible force.

The inside of the crack in the world was the very definition of the word 'nothing'. Link could see nothing. He felt nothing. He smelled nothing. He thought nothing. His mind was empty. The dim notion that he might be stuck in this nothing forever implanted itself in Link's mind, and he was rather amused that he didn't care. If that happened, so be it. And why not stay? Here in the nothing, there were no worries. No fears. No monsters. Simply an infinite amount of nothing.

But then Link saw light in the distance. The light grew brighter and closer as it replaced the nothing. Link desperately reached out to touch the light, suddenly wanting to escape the nothing. He suddenly remembered Princess Zelda, and Midna, and Illia, and everyone else he had ever cared about. He could not bear to leave them. His fingers grazed the light, which felt warm, but more importantly it felt like_ something_. Then Link was catapulted fully into the light.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

With a cry, Link fell out of the crack. The exit was rather inconveniently placed a few feet above the ground, so Link landed with a loud thud on his back. He groaned in pain and annoyance before sitting up. Link carefully observed his new surroundings. He was in some kind of temple. He had landed on a circular platform. A few feet before him were several stairs leading up to an open door. Most of the building was overgrown with moss.

Link picked himself up off the ground and froze. Before the open door, was a pedestal. And in that pedestal, was the Master Sword. There was no mistaking the legendary blade. The winged blue hilt and green wrapped around it. The jewel set into the hilt and the Triforce engraved in the blade. Link quickly looked over his shoulder. The Master Sword was still sheathed in his own sheath slung over his back.

So how was this possible? How were there two Master Swords? Link was perplexed. His puzzling was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Link whirled around, tensing for a fight. But he froze once again when he saw who walked through the door at the back of the temple.

It was a boy with fluffy blonde hair, perhaps a few years younger than Link. He was wearing almost an exact copy of the clothes Link currently had on; the sock hat, belts around his waist and slung over his shoulder, chainmail underneath, bracers, brown boots, and a sword sheath on his back. There were few differences between them. One small one was that this boy's tunic was a slightly brighter shade of green. But the bigger one was his face. His cerulean eyes seemed brighter, more innocent. Happier even. They lacked the beastial and wild light that always haunted Link's own blue eyes. The boy was staring at the ground sadly. A giant crimson bird followed the boy into the temple. The boy seemed to be speaking to it. "...I mean, I understand why her father would want to spend time with her," the boy was saying. "I just wish I had someone to spend time with when she's not around, you know?"

The bird nuzzled the boy kindly, as though soothing him. Then the bird's eyes locked with Link's and it shrieked loudly. Link couldn't make anything out of the sound, but the boy clearly did. "What is it?" he cried, unsheathing his sword, looking around wildly. His eyes quit moving when they landed on Link, taking in all the similarities between the two of them. "W-who are you?" the boy demanded. He readied his sword.

Link held up his arms. "I'm not here to hurt you, or anyone else," he promised. "Wherever _here_ is," he muttered to himself.

"Why do you look like me?" the boy continued.

"I'd like to ask you the same question," Link replied.

"I don't know either!" the boy exclaimed. "W-wait... is that the Master Sword? Why do you have the Master Sword?"

"Relax," Link sighed. "This is... my Master Sword, I guess. Yours is still in that pedestal over there." He pointed to it. The boy had to stand on his tiptoes to see up the stairs, but he looked even more alarmed when he realized Link wasn't lying. "Here," Link began. "Let's start with a question that's less crazy. What's your name?"

"Link," the boy said hesitantly.

Link's eyes widened. "I take that statement back. That's _my_ name!"

"What?" the other Link breathed. He shook his head. "That's impossible!"

Link nodded in agreement.

"Master Link, perhaps I have an explanation," a robotic female voice began from behind Link. He whirled around, Master Sword at the ready. Up the stairs, next to the second Master Sword's pedestal, was a blue and purple woman. She was floating above the sword. Right in the middle of her chest was a blue gem. It did not appear that she had arms, only thick blanket-like appendages that rippled in the wind. One appendage was blue, the other purple. Her eyes were completely blue, not only the irises. Her legs were wrapped in tight black pants with a crisscrossing blue pattern embroidered on them. Her hair was smooth and shiny and blue.

"F-Fi!" the other Link cried.

Fi smiled. "Yes, Master. I am here. I have an explanation for your current situation."

"Who are you?" Link asked, the woman's emotionless eyes making him uncomfortable.

"That's Fi," the other Link began. "She's my good friend. She helped me save the world!"

"I am pleased you think so highly of me, Master," Fi replied.

"Why do you keep calling him Master?" Link questioned.

"I am under orders from the Goddess Hylia to assist Master Link," Fi replied. "And I am here now to continue that job by explaining your confusion. I believe that this Link is from an alternate universe. I believe that this Link is you, Master, from a parallel world."

"Woah," Link breathed. "That's crazy. And you know it's bad when _I_ think it's crazy. You wouldn't believe the things I've seen."

"Try me," the other Link snickered.

"I agree with Master Link," Fi added. "I am certain that Master could easily accept whatever phenomenons you have witnessed. But I predict a 97% probability that you are here for something more important than meeting Master Link."

Link nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. I'm here to save Princess Zelda."

This revelation caused the other Link to stumble forwards. "P-princess? My betrothed? A princess?"

"You're betrothed to the princess?" Link cried.

"She's not a princess!" the other Link exclaimed. "Maybe a goddess reincarnated or whatever, but not a princess!"

"What?" Link stuttered. "A reincarnated goddess and the word 'whatever' in the same sentence? And you're shocked I think she's a princess?"

"Another symptom of parallel worlds, Master," Fi interrupted. "He means his Zelda, not yours."

The other Link shook his head slowly. "Right. So, you're rescuing your Zelda. But, why did you come here?"

"Well, I didn't exactly mean to," Link said, scratching his head. "After Zelda was sent through this weird portal and this evil voice said some mean stuff, I retrieved the Master Sword from the Sacred Grove, fought off some bad living statues, and returned to where the portal had been. I was trying to figure out how to reopen it, and it just kind of… happened I guess." He shrugged, loathe to share his ability to turn into a wolf. He somehow didn't see that as going over very well.

"Wow," the other Link stated. "You say that so casually."

"Just another day for a hero, I guess," Link sighed. "But seriously, I need to get on that whole rescuing thing. So, nice meeting you, but I've got a princess to save." He started to walk out of the door, but the other Link put his hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," he said. "I'm coming with you."

"W-why?" Link asked. "It's my problem. You don't have to help if you don't want to."

The other Link smiled a bright smile. "Well, I'm a hero, just like you! And it's our job to protect everyone, not just people we know!"

Link smiled back. "Well, if you insist."

"Alright!" he raced up to the pedestal, grabbed the Master Sword's hilt, and pulled it out. "I'm going to be needing this again, I think," he told Fi.

Fi nodded her head. "I concur, Master." With that, she...dissolved into the blade. Link's jaw hit the floor.

"Did she just go into the sword?" Link demanded.

"Fi is the spirit that lives inside the Master Sword," the other Link explained. "Your Master Sword doesn't have a spirit living in it?"

"No," Link replied. Then he shrugged. "Though I did have someone living in my shadow for a few months, so we've all got our quirks, yeah?"

"What?" the other Link cried.

"It's a… long story," Link sighed. "Anyways, let's go save the princess!"

The other Link rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but before we go, can I say goodbye to my Zelda?"

"Sure, I guess," Link agreed.

"I just don't want her to worry, you know?" the other Link went on. His eyes glazed over. "The way I did…" he shook his head as though to clear his mind of such thoughts. "Oh! And one more thing before we go. We need nicknames for each other."

"What?" Link asked, bewildered.

"Well, yeah," the other Link insisted. "We can't go around calling each other 'Link' all the time. That's weird, two people having the same name."

Link shrugged. "I see your point. Well, how about we just choose something unique about us?"

The other Link nodded enthusiastically. "Great idea!" He paused for a moment, thinking. "Did people live in the sky in your world?"

"What? No!" Link exclaimed.

"Well, they did in mine!" the other Link laughed. "My nickname is Sky!"

"I like it," Link admitted. "Alright, this isn't that unique, but I've always loved twilight."

"You mean like, when the sun's going down?" Sky questioned.

"Yeah," Link agreed. "It just feels...I don't know how to describe it. Anyways, unless you feel the same way my nickname's Twilight."

"No, I definitely don't," Sky replied. "I prefer the day. Nighttime has always given me the jitters."

"Aw, are you afraid of the dark?" Twilight sneered, a playful smile on his face.

"No!" Sky cried. "Just...nevermind. Come on, let's get going."

Twilight nodded, all seriousness again. "Right." The two heroes exited the temple, Sky leading the way.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

A little way down the road was a very small settlement. The houses were made mostly out of wood, and tree stumps could be seen all over. Giant birds like Sky's crimson one that was following behind them seemed to be helping build new houses. "Nice birds, you've got," Twilight commented, observing all the different colors. There seemed to be one bird for every person. Everyone seemed too focused on what they were doing to take notice of the two Links.

"Those are Loftwings," Sky said. "Whenever a child comes of age, we bring them to the Goddess Statue where they meet their Loftwing. The child spends the rest of their life with their bird."

"Fascinating," Twilight said. "The closest I've ever come to something like that is my horse, Epona."

"Horse?" Sky repeated.

"You don't know what a horse is?" Twilight asked. "It's like...a big animal that has four legs and a tail made of hair. They run really, really fast. Especially Epona. Never met anything that could outrun her." Including his wolf form, which was admittedly huge. He'd tried before, but the enormous horse easily beat him in a race across Hyrule Field.

"I bet my Loftwing could," Sky challenged. "He's pretty special too, aren't you, bud?" the Loftwing chirped happily, allowing Sky to stroke his feathers. "He's a Crimson Loftwing, a super rare breed that was thought to be extinct until I came along!"

"Pretty cool," Twilight agreed. "But Epona would still beat him in a footrace."

"Well, duh," Sky said, rolling his eyes. "I meant a race in the sky!"

"Horses don't have wings!" Twilight said, exasperated. "So, yes, technically your bird would win because my horse couldn't even participate." Sky's Loftwing swatted Twilight with his wing. "Ow!" Twilight complained.

"That's what you get!" Sky laughed. "You show him, bud!"

The Loftwing shrieked and gently pushed Twilight with his head.

"Get your bird under control!" Twilight cried, trying to keep an amused smile off his face.

"You started it!" Sky replied, allowing his Loftwing to continue harassing Twilight. "Oh, look we're here." He pointed towards a wooden house that looked to be about two stories tall situated at the back of the village.

"That's your house?" Twilight asked. His own was at least twice that size.

"No, that's Zelda's dad's house," Sky explained. "He wanted to have dinner with her tonight."

"And you're not invited?" Twilight questioned. "I thought you said you were her betrothed."

"No, I wasn't invited," Sky sighed. "I mean, I get it. He just wants to spend with his daughter. It's just hard… I never knew my parents."

"Me either," Twilight growled. "I grew up in a house by myself in the back of my village. I had friends, but I grew up way faster than they did, you know? Learned to fend for myself and all that before they did."

Sky laughed as though that was ironic. "The opposite happened to me. I lived in the dormitory of our village's school. I had teachers that catered to my every need. It took me far too long to grow up. Zelda used to worry about me. Told me I was always in my own little world. Asked me when I'd come down and start living life." He shook his head, a sad smile upon his lips. "When Zelda was taken about a year ago…"

Sky's sentence was interrupted by the sound of a scream. It was distinctly feminine, and it came from inside the house before the two heroes. Without a second thought they both charged through the door, rushing through room after room, following the sound. Sky skidded to a stop as he entered the dining room. Twilight crashed into him, not expecting the abrupt halt. They both quickly recovered and refocused on the problem at hand. Sky's Zelda was trapped in the same portal Twilight had seen earlier; the otherworldly ropes, the glossy, black surface, and the white cracks. Zelda's father was lying on the ground unconscious. Blood was streaming from a deep cut in his brow.

"That's the portal!" Twilight cried. "That's the portal Princess Zelda was taken through!"

Zelda continued screaming, though she calmed down just a bit when she noticed Link. "Link!" she cried.

"I'm here, Zelda!" Sky cried. He clambered onto the dining room table and desperately grabbed Zelda's hand. He pulled hard, but Zelda continued to be sucked in. Twilight joined his new companion in pulling, but still nothing happened.

"It's not working!" Sky yelled.

"Well, obviously!" Twilight growled.

Sky looked rather disgruntled by Twilight's untimely sarcasm.

"I'm rather impressed you're still alive, hero!" the terrible, cold, evil, awful, voice laughed. "But you see, you cannot hope to stop me!"

"Maybe I can't," Twilight snarled, his head whipping back and forth, still searching for the source of the voice, "but now I've got back up!"

"You still have no hope!" the voice snickered. "I will have everything I need soon enough. And then you will both die!"

Zelda was sucked into the portal fully, but Sky still wouldn't let go. He held on desperately until the last of Zelda's hand was gone. He banged on the portal, but to him in was an impenetrable wall. It would not let him in. Sky unsheathed the Master Sword, and thrust it forward, but the portal collapsed on itself before the blade made contact.

Sky stood completely still for just a moment, before falling to his knees. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and a terrible snarl was set upon his face. "NO!" he screamed, slamming the butt of his sword onto the table. "I won't let you take her! I won't lose her again!" He was breathing hard, his eyes still locked on the spot where the portal had been.

"Hey, hey," Twilight began, "we'll find her. We'll get her back. I promise."

Sky remained motionless, still sobbing. "I can't lose her again. I just can't. Not after everything that happened before…"

"I'm not going to pretend I know what happened," Twilight continued. "But it ended up okay, didn't it? You got her back. We'll do it again. We'll get her back, alright?"

Sky nodded slowly. "What if that thing kills her?"

Twilight had been thinking about the possibility with his Zelda, but he didn't think it was probable. Not anymore, at least. "I don't think he will. I think he needs her for something. After all, why bother taking her in the first place if he didn't need her? All that does is make you mad, and I have a feeling this guy isn't going to like you if you're mad."

Sky snickered, tears still streaming down his face. "Got that right. What do you suppose we do now?"

"I... don't know," Twilight sighed. "The same thing I did, I guess. Reopen this portal and see where it goes."

Sky nodded. "Sounds like as good of a plan as we're going to get. But we should help him first." He gestured to Zelda's father.

"Agreed. I've got a red potion in my bag," Twilight stated. "Do you have those in your world?"

"Yeah," Sky said. "But I've got some on me too. I'll do it. And I propose you leave the room for now. He'll probably have a heart attack if he sees the two of us."

Twilight sneered. "As much as I could go for a good laugh right now, that's probably another good idea. Let me know when you get him out of the house or something. Then we'll work on reopening the portal."

"Sounds good," Sky replied, flashing Twilight a broken smile. Twilight returned it and walked out of the house.

Sky returned his attention to the man before him. Zelda's father. His soon to be father-in-law. Gaepora. He grabbed a red potion from his bag and opened Gaepora's mouth. Sky poured the medicine down his throat and waited a few seconds. Gaepora sat up abruptly, coughing and wheezing. His alarmed eyes relaxed slightly when they realized Sky was standing before him. "Link," he said.

Sky squeezed his hand. "I'm here."

Gaepora smiled. "And Zelda?"

Sky looked away. "...not here. She was taken. I'm so sorry. I got here as she was being pulled in. But there was nothing I could do." The tears he had been struggling to contain came spilling out. Gaepora pulled him in for a hug, both men crying. "But I'm going to get her back," Sky stated. "I promise."

"I know you'll try, son," Gaepora sobbed. "Just...make sure you both come back, alright?"

Sky wiped his tears and nodded.

Gaepora sucked in a deep breath. "Now...I better go tell everyone else. You do whatever you need to do here."

Sky nodded. He watched Zelda's father exit the house and listened to the sound of the door closing before venturing outside to grab Twilight. The other hero was hiding around the other side of the house.

"It's safe now," Sky said. "He's gone."

"Great. Let's go get our Zeldas back," Twilight replied, a slight growl in his voice. "And make sure whatever monster took them doesn't live to see the sun again."

"That's a bit intense," Sky observed. "But...for now I agree. Do you think you can get the portal open again?"

Twilight bit his lip. He knew he could, but he was still loathe to reveal his rather unsettling ability. "I can try. Maybe you should keep watch out here or something. To make sure no one comes in here and sees us both."

"Good plan," Sky agreed. "I'll stay here, and you holler when you get it open."

"I'll be ready soon," Twilight said, starting to walk away. He headed back into the dining room, feeling slightly bad for leaving the room in such disarray. He opened his locket again and dumped the Twilight crystal into his open palm. As soon as the transformation was over, Twilight called upon the Master Sword to turn back. Once he had picked himself up off the floor, Twilight checked the area above the table. Sure enough, just like before, the air before him began to waver. The world cracked again. "Alright!" he called to Sky. "It's open!" Sky raced back inside and froze when he saw the crack in the world.

"Why does it look different?" he asked.

"I don't know," Twilight shrugged. "It works, that's all I care about. Let's get going. We better be prepared for anything when we get out."

Sky nodded. Both heroes reached a hand towards the crack. They were both pulled in as soon as they made contact.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Once again, all the senses of both heroes dulled into nothing. Each forgot the presence of the other, as well as all their worries and cares. Sky found himself instinctively relaxing in the nothing. Here, Zelda's capture wasn't as painful. Here, all the anger and sadness had faded. All this nothing was better than facing reality. Why bother leaving?

Twilight saw the light coming again, and suddenly remembered Sky. The other hero had his eyes closed and seemed to not notice the light. "Come on, man!" Twilight cried. "You're going to get stuck in here forever!" But Sky couldn't hear him. Twilight hurriedly reached a hand out towards his new friend, just barely grabbing on before the light swept them both away.

They both fell out of the crack, Sky landing on top of Twilight. "Get off of me!" Twilight grumbled.

"S-sorry," Sky stuttered, still shaken from his experience in the nothing. He stood up.

"What happened in there?" Twilight asked, also standing up, dusting himself off. "You were going to get left behind!"

"I don't know," Sky sighed. "It just felt so much better in there. I didn't miss Zelda as much. I know that sounds selfish, and it is, but I wasn't thinking straight. I just wanted to stay and forget about everything. That sounded so much better than having to go on another crazy adventure."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, okay. I understand. Just remember while we're in there, if we go in again, that Zelda will still be suffering if you stay there."

Sky bit his lip. "I know. I know. That place just messes with your head, that's all."

"I'm not teasing you," Twilight said gently. "All I'm saying is you have to force yourself out of that place. Don't think I'm not tempted to stay either. I have pain I'd love to forget about too. But neither of us will be getting anywhere by staying in the nothing."

"Thanks," Sky said sadly.

"No problem," Twilight replied. Neither said anymore as they finally began to take in their new surroundings. They were in a huge building, made entirely of marble. There was an open door in front of them, with a glowing yellow engraving of the Triforce above it. Outside the door was another marble room. A red carpet led up to a strange pedestal. Three beautifully carved stones were floating above it. One green. One blue. One red. All three had gold twined around the stone to create different designs. Behind them both was another Master Sword. A huge glass window was about twenty feet above the Master Sword's pedestal in the wall behind it.

"This…this looks like the Temple of Time," Twilight said thoughtfully.

"The Temple of Time?" Sky repeated.

"It's a place in my world," Twilight explained. "I visited it on my previous adventure. Only, I accessed it by putting the Master Sword in its pedestal and pulling it out again. And there was a staircase there," he continued, pointing towards the area behind the Master Sword's pedestal leading up to the window, "and owl statues there," he pointed towards the empty spaces next to the main door of the Temple that seemed to lead to the outside.

"I bet we're in a new parallel world," Sky guessed. "Fi, is that true?"

The Master Sword's spirit floated out of Sky's blade. For a moment, she said nothing, instead taking in the building the two heroes had found themselves in. "I can confirm that you are in a parallel world," Fi stated. "It seems probable that there is yet another Link in this world, Master. I would advise you to find him and see if he can help you on your quest to save Zelda."

Sky nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Fi."

"Of course, Master Link," Fi replied, returning to Sky's Master Sword.

"Great," Twilight said. "Now we at least have a goal here. All we have to do is head outside and find a guy who looks like us. How hard can it be?"

"Because you said that it's going to be nearly impossible," Sky muttered.

"Ah, come on, you believe in that stuff?" Twilight laughed, already setting off.

"No," Sky said quickly, following behind Twilight.

They exited the Temple of Time and headed down a dirt path and into a town. The town was a circle, built around a fountain in the center. People happily wandered from building to building looking through the windows at the goods to be found inside. One little girl chased a dog around. A man and a woman were dancing. It seemed very peaceful. There were two roads that led out of the town. One led to a huge castle that was blue and white, and the other led to a wooden drawbridge and an open, grassy field.

"Where do you think we should go?" Twilight asked. "The castle or the field?"

"Follow me," Sky said. "I have an idea." He took neither road and instead wandered into a back alley. "Fi, do you think you could dowse for him?" he asked when he was certain no one else was around.

"Given that both your and Twilight's auras are similar, I predict an 86% chance that this Link's aura will be as well," Fi replied, flying out of the blade. "Which would mean that I will be able to dowse for him. Would you like me to add the new Link's aura as a dowsing target, Master?"

"Dowsing?" Twilight repeated. "What's that?"

"It's a tracking method I use," Sky explained. "Fi senses a familiar object's aura and leads me to that object by making the Master Sword vibrate when I'm pointing it in the direction that the aura is strongest. And yes, Fi, please add that as a target."

"Of course, Master Link," Fi agreed, and disappeared into the blade again.

"Huh," Twilight said, still mildly confused. "Well, do your thing, I guess."

Sky pointed the Master Sword outwards and began moving in a slow circle. After about three seconds of turning, he paused. "He's this way," Sky stated.

"You're pointing at a wall," Twilight stated.

"We have to go around the wall, genius," Sky sighed. "Come on, just follow my lead."

Twilight shrugged and did as he was told. He followed Sky back into the main part of the town and out the road leading to the open field. Sky paused again, and then set off towards a house set upon a cliff.

"You know, I've been thinking," Sky began as he walked. "What if this thing wants to take all Zeldas?"

"What do you mean?" Twilight questioned.

"Well, it took yours," Sky explained. "And mine. And now it went here, since we followed it. What if it's here to take this Zelda too?"

"That does make sense," Twilight admitted. "But why would it want them?"

"I have no idea," Sky sighed. "But I have a new plan. We should tell this Link that Zelda's in danger, then head to wherever she is in this world, and stop that thing."

"That sounds good," Twilight agreed. "But we should definitely hurry, if you're right. That thing isn't going to wait for us to get there."

Sky nodded, and both heroes took off at a run. Twilight jogged at a steady pace, but Sky continually sped up and slowed down. Nonetheless, both heroes arrived at the house promptly. They headed up a path together. It appeared that they had found a ranch. There were several buildings, not just one. There was the main house the two had seen from outside the cliff, and several smaller ones that looked good for holding animals. Past all the buildings was a circular enclosure where several horses wandered around. A particularly large horse with a brown body, a white mane, black hooves, and a decorative saddle caught Twilight's eye. "Those are horses," he said to Sky, pointing to the fenced enclosure. "And that one looks kind of like Epona."

Sky looked rather underwhelmed. "Loftwings are way cooler. I mean, nothing can beat being able to fly. Have you ever flown before?"

"I got launched out a cannon once," Twilight replied nonchalantly. "Several times actually." Sky looked taken aback. Twilight laughed at his companion's disgruntled expression, then knocked on the door of the main house. A middle-aged woman with red hair, deep blue eyes, a mostly white shirt with purple designs on the short sleeves, a yellow bandana tied around her neck, and a purple skirt covered in the front by a brown apron opened the door. She shrieked when she saw the two heroes standing before her.

"What is it, Malon?" a gruff voice called from inside the house. Loud footsteps could be heard coming towards them and then Malon was abruptly shoved behind someone. Now standing before the two heroes was the Link of this world. He was also middle-aged, and very tall. He wore the same green tunic as the other two Links. His hair was entirely white, though not from age. He wore a stern expression. The left half of his face was pretty normal, but the right half was...messed up.

Two sharp red streaks ran across his cheek. A blue streak ran down his forehead. None of the strange markings touched the left side of his face. But it was the right eye that was the most disconcerting. All the markings could be waved away as unfinished war paint. But the right eye could not be ignored. It was entirely white. No pupil. No iris. Just the white eye.

"What happened to your face?" Twilight blurted out.

Sky slapped him.

"Who are you?" the new Link demanded. He stepped out of the house, still keeping a protective hand on Malon's chest. Twilight and Sky could now see his weapon. Sheathed on his back was a very bizarre sword. It appeared to be made of two blades, one green one blue, that weaved back and forth before meeting at a very sharp point. The sword was taller than both heroes. The new Link unsheathed it, holding it comfortably in two hands. "Are you demons? Monsters? Mirages?"

"N-none of those, sir," Sky began, raising his arms in surrender. Twilight followed suit, though a bit more begrudgingly. "We're you...but from different worlds. Our names are Link too."

Link laughed. "Now I've seen everything! But why should I trust you?" he shoved the blade of his sword right towards Sky's neck, just grazing it enough to draw blood.

"Stop!" Sky cried. "I can prove it to you!"

Link backed off. "Better hurry before I change my mind."

Sky nodded fearfully and unsheathed his Master Sword.

Link pressed his sword against Sky's neck again. "Fool! You think I would fall for something like that!"

"No!" Twilight cried. "Look at the sword! Doesn't that look familiar? And I have one too!" He unsheathed his Master Sword.

Link remained silent as he took in the two Master Swords. At last, he lowered his own sword. "Fine. I trust you, for now."

Sky breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped his neck of the small trail of blood that had begun to form.

"Great," Twilight said. "Because time is of the essence. We're here because both of the Zeldas from our worlds were taken by some kind of monster. We've been following it, though we haven't been able to catch it."

"And you believe the Zelda from my world is in danger?" Link finished.

"Exactly," Sky agreed.

Link shook his head. He turned to Malon. "I hate being the hero," he muttered. "I'm not exactly keen on saving the world a third time. I've had enough of this stuff."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "A third time?" he whispered to Sky.

"I know, dear," Malon replied gently. "But Hyrule needs you. I'll be here when you get back."

Link smiled. He leaned in towards Malon, wrapping his arms around her neck...and was interrupted by Twilight making very loud gagging sounds. "I can't believe _you_ are a hero," Link growled to Twilight.

Twilight stuck his tongue out at him.

Malon and Sky stifled a snicker.

"Alright, let's get going then," Link muttered, stalking out of the ranch. "I'll leave my horse, as I assume neither of you have one."

"I do!" Twilight cried indignantly. "Just...not here."

"Well that's very helpful, isn't it?" Link observed.

"Okay...anyway," Sky interrupted before Twilight could say something he'd regret. "Since you're joining our group…"

"I'm not 'joining' anything," Link snarled. "I'm taking care of a minor problem with two nuisances before returning home."

"Whatever you're choosing to call it," Sky continued. "You need a nickname. We can't all be Link. So, my nickname is Sky since in my world I lived in the sky, and this is Twilight...er, for no reason really."

"I like the twilight," Twilight explained. Of course, his reason was deeper than that. He liked that name because it reminded him of Midna. And it was the source of his wolf form. But he did not feel like explaining either of those things to anyone quite yet.

"So... you wish for me to give myself some childish name based on something about me or my world?" Link summarized.

"Yeah, except without the part where its dumb," Twilight replied. "Sky's a genius really. This way we have some way of addressing each other without all three of us going 'What?' anytime someone says 'Link.'"

"I see your point," Link admitted. "But it's still childish. However, I will play your little game for now. My nickname will be Time, since I am very experienced with time travel."

"You're also pretty ancient compared to the two of us," Twilight added.

"Shut up!" Time roared. "You haven't seen _half_ of the crazy things I've seen!"

"Try me!" Twilight snickered.

"You ever been inside a volcano?" Time challenged.

"Been there, done that," Twilight replied with an excessive amount of nonchalance.

"Traversed a desert without water?"

"Check."

"Beaten a giant spider in a fight?"

"A giant spider with _armor_."

"How about a dragon?"

"Two dragons. A reanimated dragon that summoned zombies, and a normal one!"

"Stopped the moon from crashing into the earth?"

"Alright enough!" Sky cried. "Can we agree that we've all seen some crazy stuff? Time, you might be the oldest here, but right now you're acting just as childish as Twilight! So just shut up, both of you!"

Twilight looked mildly impressed. "That's the snarkiest thing you've ever said."

"You both deserved it," Sky muttered.

Time grunted in annoyance.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

"What should we do when we get into town?" Sky asked as they crossed the drawbridge. "Won't everyone freak out when they see the three of us?"

"I don't think so," Twilight answered. "I mean, it's not my world or anything, but they didn't seem to care when it was just you and I."

"They won't care," Time replied. "They won't know who you are. They don't even know who I am." He said that with a bitter tone.

"What do you mean?" Sky questioned.

"They don't know I saved them," Time replied. "They don't remember."

"How is that possible?" Twilight questioned. "Back in my world, I earned myself the title of Duke and more rupees than I know what to do with because the people demanded I be rewarded."

"Well aren't you lucky?" Time asked, his voice dangerously low. "Here, no one has any idea the world was ever in danger. I saved it by going forward in time seven years. After saving that timeline, I returned to this time to stop the catastrophe before it even happened. No one remembers the other timeline. Not even Princess Zelda. I had to convince her it really happened."

"I'm...so sorry," Sky said.

"But...if they don't remember you," Twilight began, "won't they freak out when they see your face?"

"They're used to it now," Time growled. "They freaked when I first came back from Termina. But I ignored them. Eventually, no one cared anymore when I came into to town. They treat me like a regular person now." He still sounded angry.

"That sounds hard," Sky said gently.

"It doesn't matter now," Time replied gruffly. "I met Malon again on my way to the castle and ended up marrying her after I saved Termina."

"I'm happy for you," Sky said.

Twilight looked at the ground. "At least you got who you love," he said, his voice resentful and angry. "I didn't. She left me after the world was saved."

"Why didn't you pursue her?" Time asked, interested.

Twilight snickered. "She was the ruler of a different realm tied to my world. She sealed the only access point between our realms as she left."

"So, you can never see her again?" Sky finished for him.

Twilight nodded sadly. "Anyway. All I'm saying is that we've all had our fair share of heartbreak. It's not just you, O Ancient and Angsty One."

Time opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, but by now, they were standing in front of the castle's gate. Two guards were posted there. "What business have you with the princess?" one asked as the three heroes approached.

"Er, we're here to save her," Sky stated.

"Nice going," Twilight hissed as the guards started laughing.

"I assure you the princess is fine," the other guard promised. "No one gets past the guards here."

Time's cough suggested otherwise.

"Can we please go in?" Sky begged. "We have it on good authority that the princess is going to be attacked soon."

"Sorry, kid," the guard replied. "But that's the worst excuse I've ever heard for wanting in here."

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream could be heard from inside the castle walls. "Want to bet?" Twilight growled. "Let us in!"

Instead, both guards prepared to attack. They pointed their spears at the three heroes. "What have you done to the princess?"

"We don't have time for this!" Time cried, unsheathing his huge, twisted, double sword. He knocked both guards aside with the flat of the blade before shoving the tip through the gate, completely destroying it.

"Wow," Twilight said simply.

"Let's get going!" Sky called, already beginning to run. The group ran through the castle's courtyard, Time leading the way. Unconscious or dead guard's bodies were strewn around the place.

"She's always here!" Time called, pointing towards a private clearing up ahead. Sure enough, the familiar portal was there, with Zelda being pulled in.

"Link!" she screamed.

"I'm coming!" Time promised. He raced toward the portal, stabbed his sword into the ground and used it to propel himself upwards. He pulled the blade out of the ground and slashed at the portal, carefully avoiding Zelda's delicate frame, but it had no effect. Time fell back to the ground, breathing hard.

"This guy's kind of awesome," Twilight whispered to Sky. Sky nodded in agreement.

"You still cannot stop me, hero!" the terrible voice laughed.

Twilight growled. Sky cast him a bewildered glance.

"Why are you doing this?" Twilight demanded.

"What does it matter to you?" the voice continued. "You won't be able to stop it!"

"If you're so powerful, why aren't we dead yet?" Twilight questioned.

The voice howled with laughter. "I hope you realize just how stupid of a question that was. But since you asked, I changed my plan. Now you're a part of it. All of you. And I'll be coming to collect you when I'm ready."

"We won't let you!" Time snarled, casting one last glance at Zelda's rapidly disappearing body. "We'll stop you, no matter what it takes!"

"That's right!" Sky added. "You'll pay for taking Zelda away from me again!"

"We'll see," the voice yawned.

Zelda disappeared fully, and the portal collapsed on itself.

"Well, this is usually my cue to leave," the voice went on. "But I'm getting bored. What is it they're calling you? Twilight, is that it? I believe you have a little secret you're keeping from the others. Why don't you go ahead and spill it? Here, I'll help you get started."

From where the portal had been, a beam of Twilit magic shot towards Twilight. Twilight easily dodged it. "Too easy," he snickered. Another beam. Another dodge. Another beam. Another dodge. "Is that all you've got?"

The voice sneered. "No." With that, a final beam of Twilit magic burst from the portal's area. Twilight dodged it again, a smirk on his face. "Better watch your back," the voice snickered.

Twilight whirled around, only to get hit in the face by the blast. He collapsed immediately, feeling the dreaded transformation beginning to take place.

"NO!" Sky cried, racing over to his new friend.

"Back...off," Twilight growled, fighting the magic in his system. He was shaking, barely holding himself up on all fours.

"What's happening?" Time asked, almost sounding concerned. Nonetheless, he kept his sword at the ready as Twilight's spasms worsened.

Twilight couldn't fight it anymore. He was too tired from the effort.  
Sky and Time watched in horror as their fellow hero was consumed by black and gray fur. His arms grew longer, his legs grew shorter, until they were the same length. His hands and feet were replaced by paws with deadly sharp claws. Twilight threw his head upwards, screaming loudly. His blood curdling screams slowly turned into howls as his snout elongated and his teeth grew sharper. At last, a huge gray and black wolf stood in Twilight's place. The wolf collapsed, completely unconscious. "Twilight!" Sky screamed, holding the wolf in his arms.

"Drop it," Time commanded. "We don't know if that's really him."

"But what if it is?" Sky asked. "We can't just leave him here!"

"What if it's not?" Time countered. "We could be bringing a wild animal with us."

"You can't take care of a silly wolf?" Sky retorted. "For all your talk of taking out dragons and giant spiders, and you're worried about bringing a simple wolf with us? Besides, we need him. He's the only one who can open the portal."

Time swore loudly.

"Watch your mouth!" Sky exclaimed, completely taken aback.

"Look, we haven't got time to wait for this thing to wake up!" Time snapped.

"I've got red potion," Sky argued.

"What if, assuming it is him, he can't do it like this?" Time shot back.

"What if he can turn back?" Sky retaliated. "The voice hinted at this being his secret. What if this has happened before?"

"Even more reason for us to leave the wolf," Time sighed. "Why didn't he tell us? Or at least you?"

"Would you go around telling people you can turn into a wolf? Into something most people classify as a monster?" Sky demanded. "I mean, that's not exactly something to be proud of."

Time paused, his one blue eye glazing over. "Yeah. Yeah, I see your point. Just give it the potion, and we'll go from there."

Sky was rather disgruntled by Time's abrupt change in attitude and wondered if he had said something wrong. Either way, the argument was over. Sky grabbed a red potion, pulled open the wolf's jaws, and dumped the medicine down its throat. For a few seconds, nothing happened, then the animal's eyes snapped open. They took in Sky's face being so close to its own, and Time standing behind him, and stood up. It shook itself off, glanced at both Time and Sky, and sighed.

"Twilight?" Sky asked hesitantly. "Is that you?"

The wolf nodded.

"A-are you okay?" Sky continued, casting Time an 'I told you so' glance.

Twilight shrugged. He pushed Sky off of him and closed his eyes.

Time snickered when nothing happened.

Twilight looked alarmed.

"What's wrong?" Sky demanded.

Twilight began pawing at the ground. It took Sky a second to realize the wolf was trying to write in the dirt. The letters were messy, but Sky got the message. "I can't turn back," was what it read.

Time swore again. "You're sure?" he asked sharply after recovering himself.

Twilight nodded again. He scratched out his previous message and began writing something else.

"The...Master...Sword...isn't...powerful...enough," Sky read. "What?"

Twilight sneezed in annoyance and wrote something more.

"I... turn...back...with...the...sword," Sky translated. "But...its...not...working."

"Maybe he needs one of ours? For extra power?" Time suggested. "Try yours, Sky. I'd hate to walk all the way back to the Temple of Time for my Master Sword."

Sky nodded. "Okay. Um. What should I do with it?"

Twilight hesitated. "Tap my head with the flat of the blade," he wrote.

"Alright. Here goes," Sky sighed. He pressed the flat of his Master Sword onto Twilight's head. Twilight closed his eyes. For a second, nothing happened. Then Sky's Master Sword began to glow a bright white, and Twilight was covered in darkness. The darkness cleared, revealing Twilight. He was Hylian once again, and was sitting on his hands and knees, breathing hard. A strange stone fell out of his forehead. It was about the size of a watermelon and pulsed with orange light. Twilight stared at it for several seconds before standing up and kicking it away. "Stupid thing," he muttered under his breath. He looked up. "Thanks for the help, Sky. And... for still trusting me." He shot Time an indignant glance.

Sky cocked his head. "Is that why you didn't tell us?"

Twilight nodded. "The first time it happened, I returned to my village. I... don't know what I was thinking. As I told you, I never knew my parents. But I did have a sort of father figure. A man named Rusl. But anyway, I walked right up to him. He...he hit me with a flaming stick. I still have the burn scar on my back."

"Did you ever tell him?" Sky asked.

"No," Twilight replied. "I've never willingly told anyone."

"Enough sob stories, we better get going," Time interrupted. He pointed to a crack in the world behind him. "I assume this our way forward?"

"That would be correct," Sky confirmed. "But, Twilight, how did you get it open before?"

"Doing what I just did," Twilight sighed. "Turning into a wolf, then turning back. Turning back activates the holy power of the Master Sword, which opens those cracks. Don't ask me why, because I have no idea."

"Is that why you sent me out last time?" Sky questioned.

"Yeah," Twilight admitted.

"You guys coming or not?" Time asked. "Because I'm leaving now." With that, he headed into the crack in the world.

"We probably should've warned him about the nothing," Sky sighed.

"He'll be fine," Twilight shrugged. "But if we don't want to get left behind, we better get going." Sky nodded, and they both entered the nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

For a few seconds, all any of the three heroes knew was nothing. Then Sky and Twilight saw the light advancing, but Time seemed ignorant of its presence. He was staring off into the nothing. His white eye was open, just as blank and expressionless as always. But his blue one was also open, and it held within it a look of absolute terror. The cerulean iris flickered, the eye turning white for just a second, then returning to blue. The strange red and blue markings on the right half of Time's face began to advance onto the left side like some kind of parasite. "We've got to get him out of here!" Sky cried.

"Grab him!" Twilight commanded. "That's what I did with you! And you're closer!"

Sky reached a hand out, but he couldn't quite reach. "Time, come on! Wake up!"

Time's blue eye continued to spasm between white and blue, but it seemed to recognize that Sky was there. Time extended his left hand, and clutched Sky's hand with his own. Just as Time's grip was locked, the light swept them all away.

They tumbled out of the crack in the world in a pile. Twilight was on the bottom again. "Would you get off of me?" he growled, his face pressed against a mossy, stone floor.

"I can only do that if Time gets off me," Sky replied.

Time didn't reply. He stared off into space. Sky was relieved to see that his eye was still blue, and that the markings had retreated back to the right side of his face.

"Time?" Sky called. "You okay?"

Time abruptly shook his head and stood up quickly, allowing the other two heroes to also pick themselves up off the floor. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"What was happening in there?" Twilight demanded. "I mean, your face…"

Time recoiled as though he'd been struck. "My face is fine."

"Is it though?" Twilight questioned. "I think you and I have very different definitions of 'fine.' I mean, my secret's out there. Why not just tell us yours? Sky, you got any dark secrets to share with us?"

"You did not willingly share it," Time replied.

"I didn't," Twilight agreed. "But that thing will probably make you reveal your secret sooner or later. Why not just tell us now?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Sky added quickly, seeing Time's pained expression.

"I don't," Time growled. "Just back off, alright. We're wasting time, anyway. We've still got to find this world's Link and save this Zelda."

"Right," Sky agreed. "Fi? Dowse for this world's Link."

Fi floated out of the Master Sword's blade, earning a bemused glance from Time, but nothing more. "Would you like to add this world's Link as a dowsing target, Master?"

"Yes, please," Sky replied.

"Your current dowsing target is now this world's Link," Fi stated. "Can I do anything else for you, Master?"

"That's all, thanks, Fi," Sky answered with a small smile.

"Fi, wait!" Twilight called.

"Yes, Twilight?" Fi asked.

"Thank you...for helping me," Twilight stuttered, earning odd looks from both Time and Sky.

"Of course, Twilight," Fi replied. "Let me know if I can ever be of any more assistance."

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. Fi returned to Sky's Master Sword.

"What was that about?" Sky questioned.

"She helped me turn back," Twilight replied. "We...had a conversation. She helped me fight the Twilit magic."

"Fi's yours, Sky?" Time asked.

"I mean, yeah I guess," Sky shrugged. "She kind of just showed up one day and led me to the Master Sword. Called me 'Master' right from the start. I've told her so many times not to, but it's no use."

"Does that name bother you?" Time questioned.

"I just don't like feeling like I'm above anyone else," Sky sighed. "I'm not any better than she is. Or anyone else."

"I wish I knew that when I was your age," Time sighed, running a finger along the streak of red on his face. "Anyway, we better get going. For real this time."

"Right," Sky agreed. He pointed the Master Sword outward. "Woah. Have either of you guys actually looked at the room we're in?"

The room was made of a deep gray stone. It looked to have been abandoned for years. Moss covered nearly every inch of the floor. All the huge and ornate windows were missing their glass. A huge statue of a woman was behind the three of them. "The statue looks like Hylia," Sky observed.

"The rest of the building looks like the Temple of Time," Time added.

"He's this way," Sky said, setting off towards the entrance of the temple. "But it feels like he's really far away."

They all started walking, Sky taking the lead. They exited the temple, taking in the wilderness they found themselves in. There wasn't another building anywhere near the temple they had just exited. There were crumbled walls, and strange broken-down robots. Not another person was to be found either. But all three paused when they saw what could only be Hyrule Castle. It was made of dark stone and covered in countless turrets and towers. It appeared to be built on a spiral, one thick cliff winding around the elevated building. It too was run down. Many tall and strong towers were crumbling. Ivy had infiltrated its walls and climbed up several turrets. "Woah," Twilight breathed. "Looks like something really bad went down here."

"No kidding," Sky agreed. "But I think he's in the castle."

"That's so far," Twilight whined.

"Forget the distance," Time muttered. "We've got another problem. How are we going to get down that cliff?" Right before them all was the steepest cliff any of them had ever seen.

"I can jump," Sky replied easily. "I have this to catch my fall." He showed off a small, white square of cloth with a blue pattern sewn into the center.

"Well that's just brilliant," Twilight replied. "What about us?"

"I can use my Longshot to grab that tree," Time shrugged. He pulled out a purple tool with a chain wrapped around it, a hook protruding from the front, and a handle sticking out the back.

"My Clawshots won't reach that far. Or work on wood, for that matter," Twilight sighed. "But…" he paused for a second, studying the cliff. "I think I can make it down as a wolf. There should be enough handholds."

"Meet you guys at the bottom," Sky said, running towards the cliff. He jumped off and fell most of the way. He caught himself with his little piece of cloth at the last second and landed gracefully.

"Showoff," Twilight muttered. He opened his locket and grabbed the Twilight crystal. As a wolf, he began carefully making his way down the cliff. The footholds were just barely big enough and the cliffside was ridiculously slippery, but Twilight made it down without falling.

Time pointed his Longshot at the aforementioned tree and fired the hook. It latched onto the bark and pulled Time down into its branches. He jumped out of the tree, rolling onto his feet when he hit the ground.

Twilight turned back into a Hylian, and the group continued walking. "We've still got a long way to go," Sky sighed.

"It'll be faster if we take those horses," Twilight said, pointing to a herd of three horses that was a short distance from them.

"Will they just let us on?" Sky questioned.

Time laughed. "No. We have to tame them. But that won't take long. I'm the best horse wrangler there is."

"Want to bet on that?" Twilight snickered. "I bet I can tame one for myself and another for Sky before you can tame one for you."

"Twenty rupees," Time offered.

Twilight shook his hand, and they both raced towards the horses. Twilight ran alongside one of the horses, hoisting himself onto its back using its mane. The horse reared, but Twilight didn't fall off. He began whispering things into its ear. The horse bucked and jumped but Twilight stayed on. Finally, the horse calmed down, and Twilight rode it over to Sky. He raced back for the second horse.

Time was creeping up behind one of the horses. He vaulted onto its back, grabbing onto its mane. Time began whistling a tune to the horse, and it calmed down almost immediately. Time rode over towards Sky. "I'll take twenty rupees, Twilight!" he called.

Twilight cursed, riding over on his own horse that he had just finished taming. Nonetheless, he opened his wallet and pulled out a red rupee. He begrudgingly handed it over. Time smirked.

"It was a stupid bet anyway," Twilight grumbled. "I tamed one horse before you did."

"Doesn't matter," Time snickered. "You still lost."

"Whatever," Twilight muttered. "We better keep going. Sky, do you need help mounting the horse?"

"Er, yeah," Sky admitted.

"Do they not have horses in your world?" Time questioned.

"No, in his they ride around on giant birds," Twilight replied, helping Sky mount his horse.

"Huh," Time said, sounding mildly interested.

Once Sky was situated and Twilight had gotten back on his own horse, they started off at a slow canter. Twilight wished they could have their horses run, but Sky was having a hard time holding on at their current pace. He wouldn't last five seconds going any faster. Even so, it was faster than they had been going, and the group was making good progress. They passed through a small forest and rode out onto a large, grassy field.

"I think this field is bigger than my entire Hyrule," Twilight commented.

"Same here," Time agreed.

"Not quite for me," Sky said. "Though it is still _huge_."

They continued riding towards the castle and noticed strange walking robots. They looked almost like spiders with at least seven or eight legs each. They pulsed with a bright blue light. Their heads were constantly spinning around, as though looking for something.

"Alright, do we keep going or do we avoid those things?" Twilight questioned.

"I say we keep going," Sky answered. "They're right in front of the castle, and don't seem to be causing any problems. Also, we're not going into the castle. My dowsing is picking up a signal around the left side."

"Lead the way, Sky," Time said. The robots ignored the trio as they rode past them. Finally, they spotted the Link of this world. He was pretty short and wore a blue tunic with intricate white designs on it. His hair was long, but it was put up in a ponytail. Strapped to his back was the Master Sword, a Hylian Shield, a strange bow, and a quiver of arrows. He was standing next to a tree, his blue eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. Sitting behind him, leaning against the tree trunk, was the Zelda of this world. She had long, thick, blonde hair. She had on a blue tunic, tight black pants, and a thick leather belt. Her emerald green eyes were intensely studying the blue and white flower before her.

"This should be easy," Twilight said. "They're together."

Sky nodded.

The new Link spotted the three of them as they approached on their horses. His eyes narrowed as he took in the similarities between Twilight, Sky, Time, and himself. He stared at Time's face for a few seconds longer than Twilight's or Sky's. He said something to Zelda. She said something back.

"The princess has allowed you to come forward," he stated. His voice lacked any kind of emotion. It was a complete monotone.

"Er, thank you?" Twilight replied.

"Leave your horses there," the new Link commanded.

Time dismounted and helped Sky do the same. Twilight got off his horse as well. They continued walking forward. Sky's face burned a bright red. He was embarrassed he needed help. But Link didn't seem to care. His face was just as stoic as his voice. Zelda got up off the ground and brushed the grass off her pants. She studied all three heroes intensely. Link stood by Zelda's side, keeping his hand on the hilt of his Master Sword.

Time came to stand before Zelda first. He knelt before her. "Your Majesty." Sky and Twilight hurried to do the same.

"Finally, something interesting happens around here," Zelda sighed. "Tell me, what are your names?"

Time hesitated before replying. "My name is Link, Your Highness."

"Link?" Zelda repeated. She shot a glance at her Link. His face remained void of emotion.

"Mine is too," Sky stated.

"Same here," Twilight added.

"All three of you are Link?" Zelda questioned. "Well, this day just keeps getting better, don't you think, Link? Er, my Link. I mean, I've been just _so_ bored lately!"

"If you think so, princess," Link replied.

"I think I like her," Twilight whispered.

Time shot him a glare.

"Oh, its fine," Zelda said, waving it off. "I have enough people addressing me formally all the time. Your Majesty this. Your Highness that. Its insufferable, really. Oh, my goodness! You all are still kneeling! Please, stand!"

The three heroes stood up.

Zelda looked at Time's face. "If you don't mind me asking…"

"I do," Time interrupted.

"O-oh," Zelda replied. "Well. May I ask who you all are?"

"Well…" Sky began awkwardly. "You will probably think we're crazy, but we're you, Link, from different worlds."

Link's expression still didn't change.

"Really?" Zelda asked. "I've long thought it was possible there were other worlds besides this one! And now I have proof! You all must come back to the castle with me!"

"I'm afraid we are not here just for fun," Time stated. "We have come because the Zeldas of our worlds have been taken."

"I assume you're here to prevent my capture then?" Zelda asked.

"That's right," Sky agreed.

"I assure you, the princess is safe with me," Link stated.

"I'm sure you're a great bodyguard or whatever," Twilight began. "But the thing that took all of our Zeldas...it's unlike anything we've ever seen. You're going to need all the help you can get in order to stop it."

"What does this thing look like?" Zelda asked. She seemed more fascinated than scared.

"We don't know," Sky admitted. "We haven't seen it yet. But its voice is terrible." He shuddered.

"We do know its capable of harnessing magic from my world," Twilight began. "And...it possessed some statues that guard the Master Sword on my world."

"You're just mentioning this now?" Time demanded.

"It didn't seem important earlier," Twilight shrugged.

"Anything else we should know about you? Or will we have to force every little thing out?" Time snarled.

"Don't act like you've shared everything about yourself!" Twilight shot back.

"Guys, guys!" Sky interrupted. "Right now? Really?"

"Are they always like this?" Zelda questioned.

"Pretty much," Sky sighed.

Zelda seemed amused. Link still seemed indifferent.

Suddenly, the air seemed to grow thicker, and clouds covered the sun. Time and Twilight abruptly quit arguing and unsheathed their swords. Sky and Link followed suit. The four heroes formed a protective circle around Zelda, who now seemed rather frightened.

"Everything will be alright, princess," Link whispered.

Zelda nodded nervously.

The voice began laughing. "I see you're on time for once. And yet, you will all still be helpless! None of you can ever hope to stop me! Though I am impressed you recovered, Twilight. I thought for sure you'd be stuck like that for a while."

"Shut up!" Twilight snapped, risking a glance at Link. His face was unreadable.

Zelda screamed from behind them. She was suspended in the air, struggling against her invisible bonds.

"Princess!" Link cried.

"What?" Sky yelled. "How? Nothing got even close to us!"

The all too familiar portal appeared behind Zelda. As she was being sucked in all any of the heroes could do was watch helplessly. "Do something!" Link commanded.

"There's nothing we can do!" Twilight retorted. "We've tried already!"

Zelda was sucked in, the portal closed, and the voice snickered. "Some heroes you all are! But I really can't have you all following me anymore. Hopefully this will keep you busy for a good while!" A sudden wind blew from behind them. It forced opened Time's inventory bag. A mask flew out. It was a strange mask. It had white hair and white eyes. It had the same blue and red streaks on its face as Time did, only the mask had it on both sides.

"No!" Time screamed, desperately reaching out for the mask. "Give that back!"

The voice laughed menacingly. The wind blew the mask around for a few seconds, just barely keeping it out of Time's hands, before blowing it right onto Sky's face. Sky began shaking and clawing at his face, but the mask would not come off.

"What's happening to him?" Twilight demanded.

Time just looked devastated. "He must fight the darkness."

"What?" Twilight cried.

Link watched the whole thing with an air of nonchalance.

"That mask," Time began. "It's terribly evil. It will try to possess him. But he must fight it."

"Can we help him?" Twilight asked, watching in horror as Sky clutched his face. He doubled over, screaming in agony, before straightening up again. Only, the figure standing before them now was not Sky. It had to be at least ten feet tall, with silver armor replacing Sky's green tunic. The chestplate was decorated with a golden crescent moon and a golden triangle. Sky's fluffy blonde hair was gone. In its place was stringy white hair. Instead of the Master Sword, the figure wielded the same double sword Time did, only it was even bigger. The strange red and blue markings covered Sky's face on both sides. Both of his eyes were completely white.

"No," Time replied. "Get ready to fight." He unsheathed his sword. Link followed suit.

Twilight hesitated. "Will we hurt him?"

"It's him or us right now," Time answered simply.

"That's not right!" Twilight cried. "That mask was _yours_. And now he's suffering because of it!"

"There is nothing we can do!" Time snarled. The figure unsheathed its sword. It sneered. Then it jumped at least twenty feet into the air, directly above Time. It brought its sword down forcefully. Time blocked the heavy blow with his sword. He pushed the figure of off him and slashed horizontally. The figure blocked it easily and returned the strike, grazing Time's side. A river of blood began to flow from the hero's side.

"Sky!" Twilight cried. "Come on! Think about what you're doing!"

The figure paused for just a second, its eyes flickering back and forth between blue and white. Then it shook its head, returning its eyes to white, and charged Twilight. Twilight blocked the vertical swing with his shield. He refused to retaliate. He refused to hurt Sky. But the figure obviously had no problem hurting him. It swung its sword heavily with two hands. Twilight used the Master Sword to parry the heavy blow, but he was knocked off balance. He recovered quickly, just barely ducking under the figure's next swing. Twilight remained on the defensive. He could not bring himself to fight back. But that strategy was failing. Every slash from the strange figure resulted in Twilight being knocked off balance. It simply swung too hard.

Finally, the figure faked a horizontal swing. When Twilight moved to block it, the figure changed his sword's direction and brought his sword down on Twilight's exposed leg. Blood began streaming from the deep cut. Twilight fell to the ground. The figure sneered. It raised its sword for the final blow.

"Sky! Stop this! Twilight pleaded. "You can fight this thing!"

The eyes flickered again. White prevailed. The new Link raced to help Twilight. Without even turning around, the figure slammed the butt of its sword into Link's gut. He went flying backwards, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. He groaned loudly but did not get up.

"Come on, Sky!" Twilight continued. "You have to end this!"

More flickering. White still won out, though just barely.

"I know you're in there, Sky!" Twilight went on. "Think about your Zelda. We'll never save her if you let this thing kill us all!"

The eyes started flickering once again. The figure took a step back as though it had been struck. Its twisted sword dropped from its hands. This time, blue eyes prevailed. "I think...I'm in control," Sky's voice said tiredly. He turned to face Time. "How do I get this thing off?"

Time's hand was coated in blood from his bleeding side. "You just need to focus on yourself. Then pull at that thing's face, and the mask should come off."

Sky nodded. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. He raised his hands and pulled on his face. For a second, nothing happened. Time tensed. Then it appeared as though Sky was pulling a layer of skin off his own face. Blood dripped down his cheeks as the disgusting mask pulled itself off. Sky doubled over and screamed in agony. Then he straightened up again, decked out in his familiar green tunic, complete with blue eyes and blonde hair. The mask was in his hand. He held it out to Time, a look of loathing upon his face. Time gingerly took it and stuffed it back into his bag. "You owe us an explanation," Sky stated seriously, wiping the blood from his face.

"Yeah, don't think you can wave this one off," Twilight added. He chugged a red potion and stood up. "That thing almost killed us all."

"We can talk later," the new Link stated. He held an empty bottle in his hand. "Whatever that thing was, it's gone now. An explanation is a waste of time. We must rescue the princess now."

"I agree with him," Time said, drinking his own red potion. "And not just because it's convenient for me. The monster didn't want us following it. We've wasted enough time here."

"I hate that logic," Twilight growled. "But you're right. We better get going."

"You still owe us that explanation," Sky said.

"And you shall have it," Time promised. "Just not now."

Twilight looked at the new Link. "Alright. I'm going to reopen the portal. Just...don't freak out."

"I just watched someone get possessed by a mask," Link replied, his voice still a monotone. "What could possibly make me freak out?"

"Well...you'll see, I guess," Twilight sighed. He opened his locket and dumped the Twilight crystal into his open palm. He shook himself off once the transformation was complete and glanced towards Link. His mouth twitched slightly, but other than that his expression was still unreadable. Twilight summoned the Master Sword and turned back. The air wavered, and then the world cracked.

"That's the way forward," Sky explained. "But before we go...inside that thing's deadly. You must stay focused on yourself, or you'll get lost."

"I'm certain I can handle it," Link said. Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, he entered the crack.

"You think you can handle it now, Time?" Twilight questioned. "Last time was pretty bad."

"This time, I know what I'm up against. I'll be fine," Time promised.

"Great, let's go," Twilight stated. The trio headed into the crack.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

The nothing was just as consuming as it was before. But Time seemed just fine now. His blue eye stayed blue and his markings remained on the right half of his face. The light started coming, but the new Link remained with his eyes closed. "I swear this happens every time," Twilight muttered. He grabbed Link's hand and dragged him into the light. They fell out of the crack and landed in another pile. They quickly sorted themselves out. The new Link had an absent look in his eyes.

"You okay, man?" Twilight asked.

"That place…" Link began. He shook his head. "Never mind. Its unimportant how I feel."

"That's not true," Sky said gently.

"Yes, it is," Link insisted. "Where are we?"

"That...is a good question," Time sighed. They were underneath a raised platform. They were surrounded by a wall with holes in it. The entire structure they were on was made of a strange white stone. A ladder was located directly behind them all, leading up to the top of the raised platform. Above the platform was a huge bell.

"Before we get started, you need a nickname," Sky informed the new Link.

"Why?" he questioned.

"We can't all be Link," Twilight explained. "This just makes things easier."

"And what do you propose my name be?" Link asked.

"I don't know," Sky shrugged. "Thus far, we've chosen our own names. Based off of something about us or our worlds."

Link hesitated, thinking. "My name will be...Wild," he decided.

"You? Wild?" Twilight laughed.

"_I_ am not wild," Wild replied. "My world. It is mostly wilderness. Any major towns were…" he trailed off, staring into space again.

"You don't have to tell us what happened if you don't want to," Sky said gently. "None of us have really given the full story of our adventures."

Wild nodded. "Good. That would take far too long."

"Right," Time agreed. "We better get going. That thing's got a huge head start. Sky, do your thing."

Sky nodded. "Fi, set this world's Link as a dowsing target."

Fi flew out of Sky's Master Sword. Wild didn't even react. "Would you like to set this world's Link as your dowsing target, Master?"

"Yes, please," Sky replied. "Thanks, Fi."

"Of course, Master Link," Fi replied. She returned to Sky's blade. Sky held out the Master Sword. "That's odd," he said. "He's...almost below us."

"So, either we're up really high or he's underground," Time concluded.

"We need to get over those walls," Twilight stated. "Then we could see where we're at."

"Allow me," Wild said. He ran at the wall.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

Wild didn't reply. He jumped straight up, grabbed onto the wall, and began to climb. He climbed the entire wall without any foot or handholds. He made it to the top and peaked over the edge. "We are up very, very high."

"Wow," Twilight said. He shook his head. "What's below us?" he called to Wild.

"Water," Wild replied. "A lot of water. There's a huge ship docked outside this tower's walls. Its sail has two swords crossing on it. And there's a smaller ship docked next to it."

"I bet he's on that ship," Sky said.

"So, this Link is a pirate?" Twilight asked. He smirked. "Sweet."

"How do you propose we get down from here?" Time asked. "There's no door or anything."

"I have an idea," Wild began. He removed a small necklace that had been strung around his neck. "I will explain, since I assume you won't trust me otherwise. This is called a Travel Medallion. If I throw it over the edge, it should land on the tower's walls. We'll be able to teleport down to it."

"Using what?" Sky questioned.

Wild unhooked a device from his belt. "This is my Sheikah Slate. Its connected to the Travel Medallion."

"And it can teleport multiple people?" Time asked.

"So long as we are touching each other," Wild confirmed.

"Aw, we all have to hold hands," Twilight snickered.

"Really?" Time sighed. "Was that really necessary?"

"Of course, it was!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's no fun being all serious and stuff."

"Whatever," Time muttered. "Go for it, Wild!"

Wild nodded and chucked his necklace over the edge. He watched it fall, making sure it landed on where it was supposed to. Once he confirmed that it landed safely, he jumped off the wall. He landed on his feet and held out his Sheikah Slate. "It worked," he stated. There was no triumph to be found in his voice. He pointed at the device's screen. It was entirely black except for a detailed light blue design on the center. "That's the medallion."

"Alright everyone, hold hands!" Twilight laughed, grabbing Sky and Time's hands.

"You ought to take this more seriously," Wild said. "All of our Zeldas' lives are in danger."

"I am taking this seriously," Twilight replied indignantly. "My version of serious just isn't the same as yours, that's all."

"Your version is ridiculous," Wild replied.

"Please cut out all the arguing," Sky begged. "Let's just do this, alright?"

"Of course," Wild agreed. Once everyone was holding hands, Wild tapped the blue design on the screen. All four heroes were broken up into blue strands of light that were blown away by the wind. They reformed on the tower's walls. Wild grabbed his medallion and threw it over his neck once more.

Time clutched his stomach. "I might need a minute," he groaned.

"Too much for you, old man?" Twilight sneered. He was used to being broken down and reforming elsewhere. That had been a common thing for him back during his own adventure. Teleporting using Twilit magic felt almost the exact same as what had just happened.

Clearly, Sky wasn't used to it either. His face was pale. "That was _so_ weird," he whispered.

"We must get going," Wild said unapologetically. He stared out at the boat.

"How good are you all at swimming?" Twilight asked. "Because in order to get onto that boat, we're going to be doing a lot of that."

"Not good," Wild sighed. "I can only stay afloat for about thirty seconds."

"I'm pretty good," Sky said sheepishly. "I have this water dragon scale that helps me. I'd give it to Wild, but without it I'm no good either."

"I'm just fine," Time replied. "Not very fast, but I can keep it up."

"I'm okay too," Twilight said. "My wolf form's faster, but I don't think that's a great plan."

"Agreed," Sky nodded. "So. We all can make it except Wild."

"I have this armor that helps me swim," Twilight offered.

"That won't work," Time stated. "It'd never fit him. I have a shirt that lets me breath underwater."

"And that will fit him better than my armor?" Twilight questioned. "You're even taller than I am!"

"No," Time answered. "But it'd be better to wear an oversized shirt than oversized armor."

Twilight shrugged. "Point taken. Give Wild the shirt and let's get going."

Time handed Wild a blue tunic. Wild pulled it on over his own clothes. It was way too big. The tunic came down to his knees. The sleeves, that were supposed to be short, went up to his wrists. Twilight snickered. "Nice dress, sweetheart."

"Knock it off, Twilight," Sky scolded. "You look fine, Wild."

"Whatever. Let's get going," Wild said with a scowl. He jumped into the water without waiting to see if the others were following. Everyone else quickly jumped in with him. They began swimming towards the smaller boat. They clambered onto the small boat, Wild returned Time's tunic, and they realized they could hear voices coming from the big boat.

"Would you mind explaining why we're here again?" a bossy, female voice demanded. Though it was authoritative, it sounded young. "I thought we agreed our pasts were behind us."

"I just wanted to see it one more time," another young voice replied. It sounded male. "I don't want us to just forget all the things we've been through."

"Ugh, so melodramatic," the first voice groaned. "Whatever. You wanted to see it; there it is. Now, let's get going."

"Fine," the second voice sighed. Footsteps approached the side of the boat. A young boy wearing the green tunic Time, Sky, and Twilight wore peeked over the edge. He had blonde hair and large eyes. "Tetra!" he cried upon spotting the four heroes in his boat.

"What, Link?" the female voice asked, sounding annoyed. A young girl with blond hair pulled into a bun on top of her head, tanned skin, and large eyes joined the boy in looking over the side of the larger boat. She wore a red bandana around her neck, a blue vest, a light blue shirt underneath, and loose-fitting white pants. She had a sword strapped to a red cloth belt around her waist. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the group. "Whoever you all are, put your hands up!" she commanded, unsheathing her sword.

Sky put his hands up. After a few seconds of hesitation, Wild, Time, and Twilight followed suit. Tetra smirked. "Hey, you!" she cried to someone on board the boat. "Throw the ladder over. We've got company!"

"Yes, Captain!" an older, male voice replied quickly. A ladder dropped over the side of the larger boat.

"Climb up here," Tetra instructed. "And no funny business!" They all climbed up the ladder. Once all four had boarded the ship, they were quickly surrounded by what could only be the ship's crew. They were all middle-aged men. They all wielded swords. And based on their apparel, they were all pirates. "So," Tetra began once they all had backed up against the ship's mast. "Who do we have here?"

"You're the captain?" Twilight blurted out.

"You got a problem with that?" Tetra snapped, pointing her sword at Twilight's neck.

"No," Twilight replied. "Just surprised that's all. It's not every day you see a ten-year-old running a criminal enterprise."  
"We are not pirates!" Tetra cried indignantly. "At least, not anymore. We helped save the world! I bet you can't say that about yourself!"

"Actually, I can," Twilight replied.

"You're lying!" Tetra yelled. "Though...you do look a lot like Link. What do you think about that, Link?"

"I... I'm not sure," the young boy replied. He seemed to be a lot less threatening that Tetra.

"Look, we don't have time for this," Sky began. "We're you, Link, from different worlds. We're here because…"

"Woah, hold up!" Tetra interrupted. "I've heard a lot of weird stuff over the past few weeks, but that? That's taking it a little too far."

"We can prove it," Twilight added quickly. "Look." He unsheathed his sword. Almost immediately, every pirate on board the ship unsheathed theirs. "No, stop!" Twilight cried. "Link! Look at this sword. Does it look familiar?"

"T-the Master Sword," Link stuttered. "...How?"

"I've got one too," Sky said, showing off his own Master Sword.

"As do I," Wild added, pulling out his.

"I left mine at home," Time shrugged, leaving his huge sword strapped to his back. "But I did have one."

"Alright, so maybe you're all not crazy," Tetra decided. "But why are you here?"

"We're here because all the Zeldas of our worlds have been captured," Time explained.

"...Z-Zelda?" Tetra whispered.

"Everything okay, Captain?" one of the crew asked.

"Just fine," Tetra replied. "Just... just fine." Her pale face suggested otherwise.

"What were they captured by?" Link demanded.

"We're still not sure," Sky sighed. "It's some kind of powerful monster."

"What does it do?" Tetra asked, recovering herself.

"Well, it can use magic from my world, possess things, and control the wind," Twilight began. "But I'm guessing there's more it just hasn't shown us yet."

"Control the wind?" Link repeated. He shared a look with Tetra.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "Why is_ that _the thing you're focusing on?"

"Because...I can do that," Link whispered. "Well. Not really me. Just a tool I have."

"Enough talking," Wild interrupted. "Where's this world's Zelda?"

Tetra and Link shared another look. Tetra slowly nodded. "Well…" she began. "You're looking right at her."

"Captain, what are you talking about?" one of the pirates demanded.

"Are you hiding from something? Pretending to be someone else?" Time asked.

Tetra laughed. "If only it were that simple. No, the real story has to do with my destiny or something. But that's all behind me now. It was, at least, until you all showed up."

"Look, we're not here to hurt you," Sky insisted. "We're here to help."

"Based on the fact that all your Zeldas have been taken, it doesn't sound like you've been very successful," Tetra observed.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Wild stated. He did not raise his voice. But it was clear he took that comment personally.

"Maybe I don't," Tetra shrugged. "But I don't think you do either."

The air grew thick. Clouds covered the sun. Time unsheathed his sword. "Perhaps not," he sighed. "But it looks like you're getting our help whether you want it or not."

"I really don't think she does," the voice laughed. The new Link tensed. Tetra desperately searched for the source of the voice. Time, Twilight, Wild, and Sky kept their eyes on Tetra.

"Who are you?" Tetra snarled. "Show yourself, coward! Come fight like a man!"

"Against a little girl?" the voice questioned. "I think not."

"You're more of a little girl than I am!" Tetra screeched. "At least I let my opponents know who I am!"

"There is a difference between cowardice and caution," the voice replied.

"I think you're in the cowardice zone!" Tetra retorted.

The voice sighed. "I grow tired of hearing you whine."

Tetra screamed as she was lifted off the ground. "Tetra!" Link cried. He turned to Time. "Throw me at her!"

"What?" Time asked incredulously.

"Throw me at her!" Link repeated. "Someone needs to get up there!"

"Well, that's a new strategy, I guess," Time sighed. He picked the young Link up. He threw him towards Tetra, who was now being absorbed into the terrible portal. Link grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing, Link?" Tetra demanded. "Let go! You'll get taken too!"

"I'm not letting you get taken either!" Link growled. He barely held onto her hand, his arm growing tired. But as Tetra's hand was pulled through, Link's fingers were forced off. The portal would not let him through. The portal collapsed on itself, and Link was left with nothing to hold onto. He screamed as he fell. "I got you, kid!" Twilight called. He caught Link before he could hit the ground and set him down gently.

"T-thanks," Link stammered.

"Don't mention it," Twilight replied, but he was staring up at where the portal had been. He shook his head sadly. "Man, we really need to get a new strategy."

"Clearly," Sky agreed. "But nothing we've tried has worked."

"Well, we can't just quit," Time sighed. "All we can do is keep going."

Twilight sighed. "This will work eventually. That thing will return to its evil lair, and we'll follow it. Then we'll fight it, and we'll save our Zeldas."

"But what if we fail?" Wild asked. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Then we'll die heroes," Sky sighed.

"No," Wild retorted. "We'll die failures."

"Aren't you optimistic?" Twilight snorted. "Honestly, a little hope never hurt anyone."

"I'm done hoping," Wild replied. "I quit hoping over 100 years ago. Hoping doesn't win fights."

"Look, we can have this conversation later," Time interrupted. "For now, we better keep moving. Twilight's right. That thing will go back to wherever it's keeping all of our Zeldas eventually. And we'll need to be right behind it."

"Wherever you're going," Link began. "I'm coming too."

"Of course, you are," Twilight agreed. "That was part of the plan. Now, say goodbye to all your pirate friends and we'll be on our way."

Link looked a little disgruntled by that response, but he quickly shook it off. "Right. Er, goodbye, guys."

"Go be a hero," one of the pirates whispered.

"Again," another one added.

"Okay, you guys all good?" Twilight asked. "Great, now would you mind heading below decks?" he continued without waiting for a response. "Reopening the portal can get...a little messy," Twilight lied.

The pirates hurried downstairs. Twilight laughed. "Too easy."

"What do you mean, messy?" Link asked nervously.

"That...was a lie," Twilight sighed. "It's just...I've got this thing I can do...and I'd rather not show it to other people."

"But you're going to show it to me?" Link questioned. "In order to reopen the portal?"

Twilight smirked. "Well, you're part of this group now, and everyone else knows. Don't want you to feel left out, now do we, kid?"

"I have a name!" Link said indignantly.

"Oh, that's another part of joining this… 'group,'" Sky began. "You need a nickname."

"Why?" Link asked curiously. Then he smiled. "Are we all going undercover?"

"I like this kid!" Twilight laughed. "But, it's not half that exciting. I don't think we gave you our real names. I'm Link, that's Link, he's Link, and so is he. See the problem?"

Link nodded, a look of bewilderment upon his face. "So. What do you think my name should be?"

"We'll let you choose, kid," Twilight replied. "Choose something special about yourself."

"How about...Wind?" Wind suggested. "Since I can control it and stuff."

"Sounds great," Sky agreed.

"I... never got your code names either," Wind said. "Can I have them now?"

Twilight nodded. "I'm Twilight, that's Time, he's Sky, and his name's Wild."  
"Quit wasting time and let's go," Wild commanded.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," Twilight muttered. He looked at Wind. "Don't scream, kid." He opened his locket. Wind watched in wonder as Twilight transformed.

"Woah," he whispered. He reached out to pet the wolf. Twilight snorted in indignance before allowing Wind to gently stroke the top of his head. After Wind backed up, Twilight turned back. The air wavered, and the world cracked.

"Is that where we're going?" Wind asked.

"Yep," Time agreed.

"Let's go," Wild said. He entered the crack.

"Honestly, what's his deal?" Twilight grumbled. "Kid, hold my hand. Inside that thing's dangerous."

"I can take care of myself!" Wind cried. He followed Wild into the crack.

"Come on," Twilight muttered. "Whelp. We better go save him, since we all know he's not making it out of there by himself."

"Yep," Sky sighed.

"Why has this become a routine?" Time moaned.

The other three heroes stepped into the crack in the world.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

As predicted, when the light started coming, Wind seemed oblivious. Time grabbed his hand and pulled him into the light.

"What did I say, kid?" Twilight asked after they had tumbled out of the crack. "That place is...hold up."

"Dangerous?" Wind finished for him. "Yeah, I can see that now. Look, I'm sorry I didn't trust you…"

"Yeah, yeah, apologies later," Twilight interrupted. "We've got a problem."

"What?" Sky asked, looking around. "Nothing here seems particularly menacing."

Twilight shook his head in disbelief. "This...this is my world." They had fallen into the Sacred Grove. The Master Sword pedestal was still empty. The statues were still at their posts.

"Why would that thing go back?" Time asked.

"I don't know," Twilight mumbled. He shook his head. "Well. We obviously need a new plan, since we've already recruited this Link."

"Do you have a house here?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, why?" Twilight replied.

"Maybe we need a night to rest. To regroup. Think of a new plan. We're all tired and hungry," Sky explained. "Let's head to Twilight's house and get a good night's sleep."

"Do you have enough room for us all?" Wind asked.

Twilight snickered. "Do I have enough room? Please, kid. Here, I'm a duke. _Room_ will not be an issue."

"What's a duke?" Wind asked.

"It means he's super rich," Time explained.

"Rich parents?" Wild asked.

Twilight scowled. "Who knows? I never knew my parents. But no, my title and rupees were a gift from Princess Zelda. A gift I accepted blindly. Take it from me. Being a noble? It _sucks_."

"Why?" Sky asked.

"I have so many stupid responsibilities," Twilight sighed. "They call them parties and dinners. I call them a waste of time, food, and rupees."

"Well, at least it will be helpful for once, right?" Sky consoled.

"I guess," Twilight shrugged. "Come on. I'll take you there." He headed into the twisted and disoriented part of the Sacred Grove. "Hey! Skull Kid!"

"Skull...Kid?" Time whispered, a lost look on his face.

"He's a little imp who lives here," Twilight explained without turning around. "He knows this place. Trust me. If we don't want to get lost, we'll need his help."

"Right," Time agreed quickly. "He's from your world. Not mine."

"You know a Skull Kid?" Twilight asked. "Rather unusual name, don't you think?"

Time shook his head. "He...was my friend. Eventually. It's...a long story."

"Speaking of long stories," Sky began. "Don't think I forgot about that explanation you owe us. And I think we'll have plenty of time for it tonight."

"Yes," Time sighed. "I guess we will."

"What?" Wind asked. "I feel like I missed something."

"We'll explain everything when we get there, kid," Twilight promised. "Hey, Skull Kid! Don't make me hunt you! You know I can find you!"

A high-pitched voice laughed from somewhere up in the trees. "But I don't think you will hunt me. Not with others around!"

"Oh, they already know," Twilight shrugged. "So, how about you come down? I can make you, you know."

"Oh, I know," the Skull Kid's voice laughed. "But if I lead you out...you owe me twice the playtime!"

"Yeah, whatever," Twilight agreed. "Don't think I'd forgotten. Just lead us out, alright? I'll be back, I swear it."

"And if you're not?" Skull Kid asked.

"Well…" Twilight said. "You won't be the only one I'll be letting down if that's the case."

"Good. We have a deal!" Skull Kid trilled. He jumped out of the tree before the group. "Follow me." He walked quickly through the many strange room-like areas of the Sacred Grove. Within minutes, he had led them to the entrance. He scampered back up a tree. "I hope, for your sake, I'll see you again!" he giggled.

"Yeah, me too," Twilight mumbled. "Right. Let's keep going."

"And just how are we supposed to do that?" Time asked. He gestured to the narrow platforms and swinging tree clubs.

Twilight bit his lip. "I... forgot about that part."

"Forgot?" Time repeated. "How do you forget about something like this?"

"Well, for me it's not a big deal!" Twilight replied, exasperated. "This stuff is easy with my wolf form. Look, we'll think of something. We've gotten this far, haven't we?"

"I have an idea," Wild began. He unhooked his Sheikah Slate from his belt. "Get ready to cross."

"Care to explain what we're doing?" Twilight asked.

"Explaining wastes time," Wild replied, pressing a button and pointing the Slate at the first tree club. It froze, turning bright yellow, golden chains shooting through it. "We have ten seconds." He crossed the rope bridge without any further hesitation. Time followed, but ten seconds had passed. The club unfroze and continued swinging.

"Can you do that again?" Sky asked.

Wild sighed. "Yes. In ten more seconds." After ten more seconds, he froze the club again. Sky and Wind crossed. Twilight turned into a wolf and quickly crossed even though the club had continued swinging. They repeated the process for the second club.

Once they were all across, Time groaned. "Great, now the bridge is facing the wrong way."

"That's easy to fix," Twilight said. "See that propeller on top? It just needs..._wind_ to blow in the right direction." He winked at Wind. Wind smiled and pulled out a thin, white stick. He closed his eyes and began moving it around. As if from nowhere, the wind began to howl a melody. Once it finished, Wind opened his eyes. "Hold onto your hats," he said, a bright smile on his face. Everyone did as they were told. Wind snapped his wrist in the direction of the bridge's propeller. A strong wind blew from behind them all and turned the propeller easily. The bridge spun to face them, and everyone got onto it. Wind snapped his wrist in the other direction and the bridge turned to face the other side of the cliff. They all got off the bridge, Wind lowered his stick, and the wind died down.

"What is that thing?" Sky asked.

"This?" Wind asked, holding up his stick. "This is the Wind Waker. It's what lets me control the wind."

"It's pretty sick, kid," Twilight said with a smile. Then he scowled. "Ugh, I forgot about this last part." Before them were several small platforms, all way too far to jump across.

"Your wolf can jump that far?" Sky asked incredulously.

Twilight smirked. "Without any problems. But we_ all _need to get across. Not just me. Any ideas?"

"I've got an idea for me," Time said. He pulled out his Longshot. "This ought to pull me across. It can latch onto anything that's wood. And those platforms are all wood, as luck would have it."

"I've got one of those!" Wind exclaimed, pulling his out.

"As for me and Sky?" Wild asked impatiently.

"I have an extra one," Time offered, pulling out his Hookshot.

"That still leaves one of us," Sky sighed. "I have one too, but it doesn't work on wood."

"Same here," Twilight said. "Hey kid, would you feel comfortable riding across on my back?"

"Are you kidding?" Wind asked. "That would be awesome!"

Twilight smiled. "Great. Give your Hookshot to either Wild or Sky, and I'll jump you across."

Wind handed his Hookshot to Sky and Time handed his to Wild. Time gave a quick explanation of how to use the tool to Wild, who clearly had never seen anything like it, and then they crossed one at a time. Twilight turned into a wolf, allowed Wind to climb on, and crossed last. Wind held on for dear life, but he whooped with delight every time Twilight jumped. Once everyone had made it across and Twilight had returned to his Hylian form, Sky gestured for Twilight to take the lead.

Twilight began walking, everyone else following behind.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Twilight pointed out all the different landmarks as they walked. The walk took several hours, and everyone except Wild seemed exhausted by the time Twilight pointed out his own house. It was on the side of a huge lake. There weren't any other buildings around.

"Wow," Sky breathed. "It's _huge_!"

"I know," Twilight agreed. He knocked on his own door.

"Master Link is not home right now," a voice called through the door.

"Well, he is now!" Twilight called back.

The door swung open. An older man wearing a suit was standing there. "S-sir! You're back! Everyone thought you and the princess had been captured!"

"Me? Captured?" Twilight laughed. "Nah!"

"Well, I am most pleased to see you're home safe, sir," the butler said with a smile. "And... I see you made some new friends."

"Ah, yes," Twilight agreed. "Eduardo, meet Link, Link, Link, and Link. Links, meet my butler, Eduardo."

"You're...all Link?" Eduardo stuttered.

"Yeah," Twilight replied. "Crazy, huh?"

"We all have codenames!" Wind exclaimed. "I'm Wind, that's Sky, he's Time, his name is Wild, and your master is Twilight."

Eduardo smiled at Wind's enthusiasm. "Well that's a bit much to take in. But, please come in, sir."

"Thanks, Eduardo," Twilight said, entering his house. "And please tell Vernon to prepare dinner for five."

"What would you like me to have him cook?" Eduardo asked.

"Whatever's easiest," Twilight shrugged. "Tell him it doesn't have to be super fancy. We're all just tired and hungry."

"Of course, Master," Eduardo agreed, already setting off down the hall.

"Well, I'm impressed," Time said. "You know his name. Most nobles don't bother to learn their servants' names."

"Of course, I know his name!" Twilight snapped. "I know all my servants' names. Just because I'm a noble doesn't make me a rich brat."

"Of course, it doesn't," Sky agreed.

Awkward silence followed.

"I'm hungry, where's the food at?" Wind asked.

Twilight smiled. "Right this way." He began walking down the main hall and towards his dining hall. He opened the door for the rest of his group. The ornate wooden table could seat at least twenty people. An exquisite, crystal chandelier had been lit, and cast a pale white light across the entire room.

"_This_ is where you eat every night?" Sky breathed. "It's beautiful."

"A bit lonely if you eat by yourself every night," Twilight sighed. "That's why I host dinner for my servants every other Saturday."

"I bet they love working here," Wind said

"I hope so," Twilight agreed. "That's my goal."

"I think you're doing a fine job," Time said.

"Oh, but where are my manners?" Twilight laughed. "Please, everyone be seated!" He sat himself at the head of the table, and everyone else sat down in a chair close to Twilight's seat. As soon as they were seated, several servants brought out steaming plates of food. Twilight thanked each one personally and asked one to thank the chef for him. Then they all began eating, the five heroes enjoying their first meal in countless hours.

"So, Time," Sky began after everyone was comfortable. "That explanation you owe us?"

Time sighed. "You're really not letting this go, are you?"

"I have a right to know," Sky replied steadily.

"Yes, yes you do," Time muttered. "Very well. You sure you want to do this now?"

"Quite sure," Sky agreed.

"Can we back it up a bit?" Wind asked. "I'm still confused."

"When we visited Wild's world," Time began, "the voice used the wind to open up my bag. It pulled this out." Time grabbed the mask from his bag. Sky looked like he wanted to burn it.

"That bad, Sky?" Twilight asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you hate something so much."

"It was terrible," Sky mumbled, still staring at the mask. "Worst thing I've ever felt."

"_Hello_? I'm still lost," Wind insisted.

"Yeah, I was getting there," Time agreed. "And the monster blew it onto Sky's face…" he trailed off.

"I got this," Twilight butted in. "The mask...possessed Sky, I guess. Turned him into this crazy powerful being. Almost killed all four of us."

"How did you stop it?" Wind asked.

"I kept talking to Sky," Twilight replied. "Told him to keep fighting it."

"And then I regained control," Sky finished. "And ripped that thing off my face."

"The mask looks like your face, Time," Wind observed.

"That's why I owe them this whole explanation in the first place," Time sighed. "...The mask was given to me on my second adventure. I had found a land called Termina. The moon was going to crash into the earth in three days' time. I did everything I could to save it, but I ran out of time. Luckily for me, I have a way of resetting three days…"

"How?" Wind asked.

"Another long story for a different day," Time answered. "But anyways I reset the three days. And I tried again. And again. And again. I made a little progress each time. Eventually, I made it onto the moon to face the thing that had sent the moon crashing down in the first place. A being known as Majora. Majora...gave me this mask."

"And you took it?" Twilight cried.

"I was twelve!" Time snarled.

"That's how old I was when I went on my adventure!" Wind retorted.

"Well, perhaps you're wiser than I am," Time said sarcastically. "But Majora promised me the mask had great power. I knew it was wrong, but as I was, I knew I stood no chance of defeating Majora. He was too powerful. So, I took it. I put it on to fight him. And the mask possessed me. Fortunately, it didn't like Majora very much and killed him. But I could not get it off. The mask, called the Fierce Deity Mask, returned to Termina. All the people practically worshipped it. Called it a hero.

It hated the attention. I barely kept it from killing everyone in that town. Instead, I got it to leave Termina. The mask allowed me to say a brief goodbye to one of my friends, then forced me to put it back on. After that, it took me two years to get the mask off again. Two years of being trapped in my own body. Two years of fighting against the Fierce Deity. When I finally defeated it, I ripped the mask off and shoved it in my bag, where I thought no one would ever find it."

"Why didn't you destroy it?" Wild asked.

"Because destroying it would've released the Fierce Deity trapped inside," Time replied sadly. "Anyways, once I got it off...my markings were there. My eye was white."

"Can you see through that eye?" Sky asked. "I've noticed that whenever you blink its only with your blue eye."

"No, I cannot see through this eye," Time answered. "And in fact, I have no control over it. It never blinks or closes. I sleep with it open."

"That's a bit creepy," Twilight shuddered.

"I suppose so," Time shrugged. "At this point I don't care anymore. But back to the story. I got the mask off at last. My markings were there. My eye was white. I still wielded the Double Helix Sword. And I had aged. I was now fourteen. I had not realized how tall I had gotten. It took me several weeks to adjust to my new height. To remember how to walk or function by myself again. Once I had sort of figured myself out, I returned to Hyrule. To the only one who brought me any pleasure. Malon. She was the only one who didn't run from me. And now, she's my wife."

"I'm glad your story has a happy ending at least," Sky said with a hollow smile.

"I suppose," Time whispered. "Well. There's your explanation. You happy now?"

"Well, _happy_ isn't exactly how I'd describe how I feel right now," Twilight replied. "Man, Time. I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"Of course, you didn't," Time scoffed. "That was the point of me not telling you, wasn't it?"

Twilight nodded sadly. "Well, while we're here anyone else got any heartbreaking stories they'd like to share?"

"Without all the sarcasm," Sky said pointedly, "I do think it would be good if we shared a little bit about ourselves. We're a team now, yet we're still basically strangers. We haven't had much opportunity for talking, but we have one now."

"I'll start," Wild volunteered. "I'm not one for talking much, but I'll start. I am my Princess Zelda's personal knight. 100 years ago, our kingdom was attacked by a great beast known as Calamity Ganon. Zelda and I were destined to stop it. But...I failed her. I was gravely injured, leaving her to fight the beast alone. She had her servants take me to the Shrine of Resurrection. It was completely untested, but it could supposedly heal any wound. And so, it did. 100 years later, I woke up without even a scar left to show for my trials. But I also had no memory."

"You forgot _everything_?" Wind breathed.

"Everything," Wild agreed. "I recovered some of my memories by visiting places I'd been before, but most of my previous memories are lost to time now."

"You mean...you have like… a gap? In your memory?" Sky concluded.

"I suppose," Wild shrugged.

"That's...awful," Sky said sincerely.

"It is unimportant," Wild insisted. "After I recovered enough memories to know who I was supposed to be, as well as retrieving the Master Sword from the Lost Woods, and some other things that I don't feel like explaining, I headed to Hyrule Castle to defeat Calamity Ganon. The princess had held him there for 100 years, awaiting my return. I attacked the monster and killed it, and peace was restored to Hyrule."

"But your memory…" Sky began. "Like. What do you not remember?"

"How to read," Wild listed. "How to write. My last name. My parents."

"You don't remember your parents?" Sky whispered, horrified. He sounded more torn up about than Wild did.

"Join the club," Twilight snarled. "My parents left me to die. Rusl, my father figure, found me in a river wrapped in a blanket, floating in a basket. He raised me as his own son, but I've lived in my own house since I was nine. I started working on our village's ranch when I was ten."

"Heroes are not meant to have happiness," Time sighed. "In addition to the tragedy I've already shared with you, I also never knew my parents. My mother and father lived during a great war. My father was a soldier in the Hylian army, or at least that's what I've been told. He died in battle while my mother was pregnant. My mother ran away to Kokiri forest and gave birth to me there. She died during childbirth. I was raised by the Kokiri, a clan of strange and kind beings that never grow up."

"Yeah, I never knew my parents either," Sky sighed. "Though I have no idea what happened to them. I... never asked. I was afraid of the answer. I grew up in our school's dormitory. The teachers raised me. I was happy for a long time. Until my adventure began and Zelda, my best friend, was taken. You see, we lived in the sky, and no one knew what was below the clouds. Zelda fell down to the Surface after an awful tornado flung her off her Loftwing. I tried to catch her...but the wind was too strong.

That night, I met Fi and she led me to the Master Sword. Back then it was known as the Goddess Sword…"

"Hold up," Wind interrupted. "Fi? Who's that?"

"Oh, you haven't met her yet!" Sky laughed. "Forgive me. It's so hard to keep track of, who we've told what. Fi, say hello to Wind."

Fi flew out of Sky's Master Sword, earning a "Whoa," from Wind.

"Hello, Master Link's friend, Wind," Fi said. She turned to Sky. "Do you need anything else, Master?"

"No, that's all, thanks, Fi," Sky said with a smile. "Anyway, as I was saying I met Fi, found the Goddess Sword, and headed down to the Surface to find Zelda. I found her, but she had to fulfill her destiny or something before she could come back. But she was being hunted. By this evil being named Ghirahim. He called himself the Demon Lord. I saved her from him several times. Eventually, we both learned what our destinies were. I was the hero picked by the Goddess Hylia in order to stop the resurrection of the Demon King, Demise. And Zelda...was the reincarnation of Hylia herself. In order to seal Demise away, Hylia had to be reborn as a mortal. And that was Zelda. Zelda…" Sky hesitated, his eyes watering.

"Hey, it's alright, man," Twilight said gently. "Whatever happened is over now."

Sky nodded. "Zelda...went back in time. Like, a thousand years or something. And sealed herself in this...this cocoon. She said she needed to in order to keep Demise sealed away. She did it...right in front of me." Sky was completely crying now. "I returned to the present. Obtained the Triforce."

"Wait," Time interrupted. "You got the _whole_ Triforce? Not just the Triforce of Courage?"

"Yeah," Sky agreed, his voice cracking. "Why?"

"I only have the Triforce of Courage," Time explained, showing off the Triforce mark on the back of his hand.

"Hey, I have a mark like that!" Twilight exclaimed, showing off his mark.

"I had the Triforce of Courage too," Wind added. "But the King of Hyrule used it to drown the rest of Hyrule."

"What?" Twilight asked.

"It's not my turn yet," Wind said with a wink.

"I have no idea what the Triforce is," Wild admitted. "But that symbol is familiar. Perhaps I just don't remember. When this is over...I shall ask the princess."

"May I continue?" Sky asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Yeah, go ahead," Twilight replied.

Sky nodded. "Anyways. With the full Triforce I wished to destroy Demise so Zelda could come back. And my wish came true. Demise was dead. I went and got Zelda. But Ghirahim had other ideas. He captured Zelda and used the portal we'd opened to go through time. He returned to the past, where Demise wasn't dead, and began reviving him with Zelda's body. She wasn't dead yet, but she was dying. I saved her, but Demise had already been revived. I killed Demise, and everything was peaceful again. A few weeks later...I asked Zelda to marry me. She said yes." Sky smiled sadly.

"That's great!" Twilight said happily. "Your story has a happy ending too. Mine...doesn't. I was minding my own business, enjoying my day off from work on the ranch with my best friends Ilia and Colin when we were attacked by monsters. I was knocked unconscious and left behind, but Ilia and Colin were captured. When I woke up and realized they were gone, I ran out of my village and into the woods. The area there was covered in Twilight. Basically, that means that anyone there turns into a spirit. Except me and Princess Zelda. I turned into a wolf and she remained unaffected. A monster that lived there captured me, after I transformed and passed out, and took me to Hyrule Castle. It threw me into the dungeon. I escaped with the help of a little imp who went by the name of Midna. And then I met Zelda, who was being held captive in her own castle. She explained to me that the entirety of Hyrule had been taken over by a man named Zant, who claimed to be the King of the Twilight Realm, this parallel realm where it was always, big surprise, twilight. Zant had covered all of Hyrule in Twilight. So, I slowly undid the Twilight in a process that's long and boring and doesn't need to be explained for the story to make sense. Along the way, Midna and I found these powerful artifacts known as Fused Shadows. I was getting ready to fight Zant with them…"

"You mock me for taking the Fierce Deity Mask," Time interrupted. "Yet you collected something called _Fused Shadows?_ Yeah, that doesn't sound ominous at all."

"Hey! Sarcasm's my thing!" Twilight snapped. "And Midna insisted they were safe. But anyway, it didn't end up mattering. Zant ambushed us and stole the Fused Shadows. He cursed me, returning me to my wolf form, and injured Midna. I hurried Midna to Princess Zelda, hoping she could heal her. Zelda did heal her, and told me to find the Master Sword, which would undo my curse. So, I went and found it, and Midna told me we needed to use the Mirror of Twilight in order to access the Twilight Realm, where Zant was from. While we looked for the Mirror, Midna revealed to me that she was from the Twilight Realm yet had openly opposed Zant's rule."

"So, she's a rebel?" Wild concluded.

"Basically," Twilight agreed. "We found the Mirror of Twilight, but Zant had broken it into four fragments. He had sent the fragments to very obscure places. I recovered all four fragments with Midna's help, then we finally entered the Twilight Realm. We took on Zant, and Midna killed him. Before he died, he said that his Master had risen, and that he would be revived so long as his Master lived. So, with that news we returned to Hyrule Castle and took on Ganondorf, who had been running everything from behind the scenes. Ganondorf possessed Zelda, we fought her, and Midna broke the possession using the Fused Shadows we had recovered from Zant. I fought Ganondorf's bestial form, Ganon, a giant boar, and beat him again. He took on this weird shadowy form, and Midna said she'd hold him off. I told her no, that we'd do this together, but she insisted. She teleported Zelda and I out of the castle. Zelda and I watched the castle crumble from Hyrule Field. But...Ganondorf emerged from the rubble. He...he was holding the helmet Midna always wore. He snapped it in half right in front of me…" Twilight trailed off, staring into space.

"She...died?" Wind breathed.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. But I had to keep fighting. Zelda and I fought Ganondorf in a horseback battle, and we won using Zelda's Bow of Light and Light Arrows. Then I fought Ganondorf in a final one on one sword fight. And I beat him again. He finally died. And... Midna had been revived by the Light Spirits, basically my world's guardian deities."

"So, you do get your happy ending!" Sky said, clapping his hands.

Twilight shook his head. "I'm not done yet. I learned that Zant had cursed Midna into the imp form I had become so familiar with. But dying and being revived had undone the curse. Her true form...was beautiful. I fell in love with Midna...the rightful ruler of the Twilight Realm. But I was unsure how to explain how I felt. So, I said nothing. The next day, we returned to the Mirror of Twilight so Midna could return to her realm and begin fixing her kingdom. I wasn't worried. As long as the Mirror of Twilight was around, I knew I'd see her again. But...she broke it as she left. Completely shattered. Totally beyond repair. I haven't seen her since."

"Wow," Sky sighed. "That's quite a story. And... I'm so sorry."

Twilight shrugged halfheartedly. "Yeah whatever. I'll get over it... Wind's turn."

"Okay!" Wind began enthusiastically. "It was my birthday. I got these clothes that day!" He pulled at his green tunic. "When a boy comes of age on my island, they get these clothes in honor of some legendary hero who saved the world a long time ago or something. But anyways. Later that day, I was enjoying my birthday with my little sister, Aryll, and then this huge bird came. It was being followed by a pirate ship. The ship was shooting cannonballs at it. The bird was carrying someone. It dropped its cargo in the woods at the top of my island after a cannonball got pretty dang close to it. I was curious and went up there to check it out. I met Tetra, who the bird had been carrying, and we exited the woods. Aryll had been following me, but that bird swooped down and carried her off. I was angry. _No one_ messes with my little sister. Not even giant evil birds. Tetra explained that the bird had been after her and expressed her condolences that it had taken my sister instead. But I wasn't having any of that. I forced Tetra to let me board her ship and follow the bird. So, we followed it. We ended up in this place called the Forbidden Fortress. I found where Aryll was being kept, as well as several other young girls, but the bird picked me up before I could free any of them. It showed me off like some mouse it had caught to a man wearing all black. The man told the bird to throw me into the sea. And so, it did. I fell unconscious as soon as I hit the water. I woke up in the back of this talking boat who called himself the King of Red Lions. The boat told me the man in black was this evil guy named Ganondorf. It said the only way to stop him was to find this super powerful sword called the Master Sword. So, I found these three pearls that I needed to in order to prove my worth. Once I did that, this huge tower rose out of the sea…"

"Probably the tower we were stuck on," Twilight observed. "That was the biggest building I've ever seen."

"Did it have a bell on top?" Wind asked.

"Yeah," Twilight replied.

"That was it then," Wind agreed. "Anyways. I ascended the tower, rung the bell to let the world know I was worthy of the Master Sword, and a portal opened up at the bottom of the tower. The King of Red Lions and I entered it, and it took us to this castle at the bottom of the ocean. Also, I could breathe for some reason. But the castle was frozen in time. There were all these monsters that weren't moving. I explored it and found the Master Sword, which restored the flow of time to the castle. I fought off all the monsters and returned to the Forsaken Fortress to fight Ganondorf and save Aryll. I beat the giant bird and Tetra's crew saved Aryll while I went to go fight Ganondorf. Ganondorf revealed that the Master Sword's power had dwindled and so it would be ineffective against him. Tetra tried to save me, but he beat her as well. Some Rito friends I made earlier in my journey saved Tetra and I from getting killed by Ganondorf. The King of Red Lions took both Tetra and I back to the castle under the sea and explained that the castle was part of a kingdom known as Hyrule. It had been drowned like, a long time ago, in order to stop Ganondorf from killing everyone. He was supposed to be stuck there. But the King of Red Lions revealed that Tetra is Princess Zelda, the true heir of Hyrule. The King of Red Lions also revealed himself to be the last king of Hyrule."

"Wait…" Time interrupted. "Your...boat...was a person?"

"Yeah, apparently," Wind admitted.

"Wow," Twilight said. "And I thought turning into a wolf was weird."

"Yeah, no kidding," Wind agreed. "But anyways. The King insisted Zelda, or Tetra, should stay in Hyrule while I go and restore the Master Sword's power and find the Triforce of Courage. I did all that, the King of Red Lions declared me the Hero of Winds when the Triforce of Courage bonded with me, and returned to Hyrule, but Zelda had been taken. I hurried to Ganon's Tower, where Ganondorf had taken her. I fought against this huge puppet he created and beat it. So Ganondorf himself challenged me. But I got caught off guard and was knocked unconscious. He summoned the Triforce of Courage from me and the Triforce of Wisdom from Zelda, as well as his own piece to complete the Triforce. He wished for Hyrule to be... undrowned, I guess, so he can rule the world. But the King of Hyrule touched the Triforce first, and he wished that Hyrule be completely covered in water, and that Ganondorf remain there. Enraged, Ganondorf attacked me again. I had woken up at that point. Zelda and I battled Ganondorf, and we beat him. I stabbed him in the head with the Master Sword, turning him to stone. We said goodbye to the King of Red Lions, and then we were taken back up to the surface of the sea. Tetra allowed me to stay…"

"Okay, hold up," Twilight butted in. "Why are you calling her Tetra again? I thought she was Zelda."

"Well...she is," Wind shrugged. "But the King wanted us to forget about Hyrule and start new lives. So, I started calling her Tetra again. Back to the story. Tetra allowed me to stay. We've been searching for a new land to call home ever since."

"What about your sister?" Sky asked.

"I visit her often," Wind said. "But she stayed on my island with my grandma."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," Kass began, entering the dining hall. "But you have a guest."

"Oh, no worries, Kass," Twilight replied, waving it off. "Please, bring them inside."

"Of course, sir," Kass agreed quickly. She exited the dining hall and told the servant standing there to bring the guest up.

"Who is it?" Wind asked excitedly.  
"I have no idea," Twilight admitted. "I'm not expecting anyone. Unless I forgot. Again."

"Again?" Time snickered.

"I'm not exactly great at this whole noble thing," Twilight shrugged. "Not like I try too hard though."

"Your guest has arrived, sir," Kass said with a slight bow, opening the dining hall door. Ilia stepped through the door tentatively.

"I-Ilia," Twilight stammered. "W-what are you doing here? I know how much you hate this place."

Ilia didn't answer at first, choosing instead to study the other Links intensely. She stared at Time's face for a long time before returning her attention to Twilight. "Some strange company you've got there."

"I've had stranger," Twilight shrugged. "You didn't answer my question."

"Are you going to make me?" Ilia demanded. "Because you're a _noble_ now? And I'm just a peasant?"

"Ilia, come on," Twilight begged. "You know I'm not like that."

"Do I?" Ilia asked, shaking her head. "I don't know who you are anymore. You haven't been home since you saved Hyrule."

"That's a lie!" Twilight cried indignantly. "And you know it! I visit Ordon village every week!"

"You haven't been the same," Ilia continued. "Something about you just...changed. And I have no idea what."

"Look," Twilight began. "I'm not as naive as I used to be. I saw some really nasty things during my adventure."

"Like what?" Ilia demanded.

"I've _killed_ things, Ilia," Twilight replied sadly. "Taken life from things. Monsters, sure. But I still killed them. I'm the one who decided they wouldn't be seeing the sun ever again."

Ilia shook her head slowly. She stared at Twilight's cerulean eyes, as though searching for something. It became clear she didn't find it when her shoulders slumped. "N-never mind. I'm here because I was looking for you earlier. Word got out that you and Princess Zelda had been taken. But I thought for sure that wasn't possible. So, I headed to your favorite spot to sulk…"

"The Mirror of Twilight," Twilight sighed.

"That's right," Ilia agreed. "But you weren't there. So, I came here. But...the mirror. You know how it was always broken?"

"Yeah," Twilight agreed.

"Didn't Midna…" Wind began.

Time slapped a hand over his mouth. "She doesn't know, Wind," he hissed.

Wind eyes widened and he nodded.

Ilia shot them both a strange glance, but it was clear she hadn't heard what had been said. "The mirror was fixed," she went on. "Not a single piece of glass was to be found in the sand."

Twilight started breathing hard. "F-fixed?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Ilia agreed. "Why is that a big deal?"

"No reason," Twilight said quickly.

"I knew it!" Ilia snapped. "You're lying to me! There's something you're not telling me! Well, go on! Spill it!"

"Ilia...it's complicated," Twilight began.

"Complicated?" Ilia spat. "You think I can't handle complicated?"

"It's not that," Twilight continued.

"Then what is it?" Ilia demanded. "Why won't you be honest with me? You remember that promise we made all that time ago? How we would never lie to each other?"

"We were six, Ilia!" Twilight cried. "Things have changed since then."

"What, because you're this big hero?" Ilia yelled. "You're no hero, Link! You're just a big liar! You're not telling me something! And based on your new friends' faces, it looks like you've told them! Why not me? Why them, over your best friend?"

Twilight looked devastated. "Ilia you're being completely unfair…"

"_I'm _being unfair?" Ilia retorted. "_I'm_ being unfair? Oh, that's just sick."

"What do you want me to tell you?" Twilight asked. "What do you think I'm hiding?"

"Something happened to you," Ilia snarled. "During your adventure. Something you've had no problem telling these people! Or Princess Zelda!"

"You know what?" Twilight yelled over her. "Fine! You're right! I haven't been honest with you! I am hiding something! I hid it to keep you safe!"

"Why?" Ilia interrupted. "You think I'm not strong enough! I'm strong too, Link! I can handle myself! I don't need you coddling me all the time!"

"Enough!" Twilight thundered. "You want to see my little secret? Fine then. You'll see why I never showed you." He turned to Time. "Count how many seconds it takes her to run down that hallway and out my front door."

"Sarcastic as always," Ilia spat. "Enough stalling. Show me already."

Twilight sighed heavily. He opened his locket, Ilia watching intensely, and dumped the Twilight crystal into his open palm. He shuddered as he transformed, listening to Ilia's high-pitched scream. When the shadows had left his body and he could see again, he stared up at her. His wolf's nose could smell her fear. But she did not run. She stood completely still. Frozen in terror. Twilight just stared at her, searching her green eyes for any sign of recognition.

At long last, Ilia opened her mouth to speak. "...Link? Is that you?"

Twilight nodded.

"H-how?" was all Ilia could get out.

Twilight turned back. Ilia screamed again as the shadows covered his body but recovered herself as Twilight stood up. "It's a... long story," he sighed.

"We've got time," Ilia stated, gesturing for Twilight to sit.

"I'm sorry...but we don't," Twilight sighed. "Hyrule's in danger again. I need to save it again. Come on, guys. We better get going."

"Oh, we have a plan now?" Time asked.

"We need to go to the Mirror of Twilight," Twilight replied. "That thing's got to be there. Why else would the Mirror be fixed?"

Sky nodded. "Right. Nice meeting you, Ilia."

"What thing?" Ilia asked.

"Another long story," Twilight sighed. "Look. Once this is all over, I promise I'll explain _everything_. Deal?"

Ilia nodded sadly. "Deal. Now go. And don't get hurt, alright?"

"No promises," Twilight replied with a broken smile. He made his way to his front door with all the other Links behind him.

"How do we get to the Mirror?" Wild asked.

"Well, during my adventure I took a cannon," Twilight explained. "But afterwards, I used some of my fortune to build a bridge to the desert, where its located. Makes sulking there much easier."

Wild nodded.

"Is Ilia always like that?" Wind asked as they walked out of Twilight's house.

"Like what?" Twilight questioned, rather perturbed by the question.

"Loud and demanding," Wind explained.

"Wind!" Sky exclaimed.

"Its fine," Twilight sighed. "And... no. Not when she's not mad at me, at least. We've been best friends since we were kids. We did everything together. But...we started to grow apart…"

"Because of your adventure?" Time guessed.

"No... even before that," Twilight sighed. "I think...I think she loves me. But I don't feel the same way. Things started getting awkward between us. She would hint at how she felt anytime we spoke. But I ignored it, because I couldn't bear to tell her I felt otherwise. It got really bad after my adventure. I had found who I really loved. I was a noble. I was famous. She hated me for it. That's the first time we've talked in weeks."

"Well, she can't hate you that much," Sky insisted. "She came to find you. She was worried about you."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"Okay. Hold up," Time said when they arrived before the bridge. "_You_ paid for this?" The bridge was more like a staircase. It escalated up cliffs that were close to the height of Wind's tower. The entire thing was made of cobblestone. "This is huge."

"Yeah, I did," Twilight agreed. "Like I said earlier. I'm in possession of more rupees than I know what to do with."

"We don't have time to talk," Wild stated seriously, starting to make his way up the staircase. "We've wasted enough time already."

"Back at it with the whole 'wasting time' thing?" Twilight grumbled.

"Don't act like I'm lying," Wild replied without looking back.

Twilight muttered under his breath, but quickly followed behind Wild. They walked at a brisk pace, up the long staircase and back down the stairs on the other side of the cliff. Twilight pointed to an old building at the other side of the desert. "That's where we're headed."

"It's so dry here," Wind observed. "My whole life I've been surrounded by water."

"You'll be hard pressed to find any water here, kid," Twilight said. "This place is drier than Ganondorf's heart."

Time snickered at that. "Got that right. There's a desert in my world too. Nasty place."

"Yeah, I agree," Twilight replied. "Though I'm used to it now. There was a time when I would visit this place every day."

"You miss her that much?" Sky asked.

Twilight nodded sadly. "I loved her. Obviously, she didn't feel the same way."

"I'm so sorry…" Sky sighed.

"It doesn't matter now," Twilight said quickly. "We need to figure out what that thing's doing here."

By this time, they had made it across the desert and now stood before the huge building. "We have to go through it," Twilight said. "I know the way. Just follow me. And don't touch anything." They entered the building.

"Ew! What is this place?" Wind exclaimed as they jumped across platforms and dodged nasty sand monsters.

"This place is called Arbiter's Grounds," Twilight explained as they walked. "It's where prisoners were taken a long time ago."

"That's a bit dark," Sky stated.

"Not going to pretend that's not true," Twilight shrugged. "But it hasn't been used in centuries. At least, not for that."

No one said anything else.

"I think we're here," Time said quietly as they stepped onto the roof of the entire thing. There was a huge block of stone wrapped in chains in the center of the roof. It appeared to sink into itself, and it had glowing white designs all over it. Many layers of spinning circles were in the center. But Twilight's eyes landed on the mirror sitting before it. Its frame was black, but its glass was a pearly white. It had stark white designs engraved in it. In the center was the Triforce.

"So, it's really fixed," Twilight breathed. "And it's still activated."

"Why would the monster fix it?" Time asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Twilight answered. "But obviously it wanted something from the Twilight Realm."

"Well, let's go stop it!" Wind exclaimed.

"Sorry, kid," Twilight sighed. "I've got to go alone."

"That's ridiculous!" Sky exclaimed. "We're all coming!"

"No, you can't," Twilight insisted. "Look, I appreciate the gesture, but you _can't _go. The Twilight Realm is dangerous."

"We've all faced a little danger," Time laughed. "You don't need to protect us."

"You didn't let me finish," Twilight continued gravely. "It's dangerous to most people. Most people turn into spirits if they go there. I don't, for whatever reason. But I can't let that happen to you all."

"What if we're protected like you?" Sky asked. "We'll be fine!"

"I'm usually all for optimism," Twilight said sadly. "But what if you're _not?_ What if you do turn into spirits? You'll be stuck there forever."

"You won't help us?" Wind asked, looking heartbroken.  
"Kid, the word you're looking for is _can't_," Twilight replied. "In my Hylian form, I can't even see spirits. As a wolf, I can see them at least. But they can't see me, hear me, feel me, or anything. You'd be completely stuck."

"We'll stay," Wild decided.

Sky nodded slowly. "Fine. We'll stay. But be careful."

"I will," Twilight promised. He flashed them a broken smile. "...See you later." He entered the stone block, fading away in a shower of white light.

"I swear if he gets himself killed," Time muttered.

"Glad to see you care," Sky said with a smile.

"Don't ever tell him I said that," Time said quickly. "His head's big enough as it is."

Sky snickered.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Twilight braced for the worst when he stepped out of the mirror. But everything seemed fine. Twili people wandered around the streets of their kingdom happily. Children chased each other around, their laughter bringing smiles to their parents' faces. But they all froze when they saw Link step out of the mirror. Guards hefted heavy spears. Link put his hands up in surrender.

"Are you...the blue-eyed beast?" one of the guards demanded.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "Yeah, that's me."

"Prove it," one said.

Twilight nodded quickly. He pulled out his locket and grabbed the Twilight crystal. Shadows coated his body. When they cleared, and Twilight stood up and shook himself off, everyone in the Twilight Realm cheered. Adults called out to him, asking if he remembered saving them. Children stared at him in awe, bright smiles on their faces. The guard who had addressed Twilight earlier kneeled so that he and Link's wolf form were at eye level. "It really is you…" he breathed. "Well. Go on. Turn back. I'm sure you'd like the ability to speak."

Twilight nodded. He summoned the Master Sword and stood up. He smiled at all the people who recognized him. He had been certain they'd have forgotten him. "You all remember…"

"Of course, we do!" the guard agreed. "How could we forget our savior? Come. We must take you to the Queen."

"The Queen?" Twilight repeated.

"Queen Midna," the guard explained, walking up the steps to the palace. "I'm certain she'll be thrilled to see you, sacred beast."

"If you don't mind, I really don't like that name," Twilight said.

"Of course. How insensitive of me," the guard agreed quickly, bowing slightly.

"You don't have to worship me," Twilight stated. "I'm just a normal guy."

"No need to be humble," the guard replied. "I think we both know that's not true." He paused at a set of black double doors. "The Queen is inside. Follow me." He opened the door. Midna was sitting at a desk made of black wood, writing with a quill.

"Does 'do not disturb me' mean anything?" she grumbled without looking up. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm…" She looked up, her eyes locking with Twilight's. Her quill dropped from her hand. For several seconds they all stood in breathless silence. The guard bowed and exited, closing the door behind him. Twilight and Midna remained frozen.

Midna spoke first. "Link...what are you doing here?"

"I…" Twilight trailed off. He could not find his words. A single tear escaped from his eye, making its slow way down his cheek.

Midna got up from her desk. She crossed the space between them, walking at first before breaking into a run. She threw her arms around Twilight, burying her face in his tunic. Tears fell freely from her eyes. "I missed you so much."

"You...missed me?" Twilight repeated, awkwardly accepting the hug.

"Yes," Midna agreed.

"But...the mirror," Twilight said.

"The mirror was a mistake," Midna sobbed. "Not a day goes by that I don't lament my decision."

"Why make it in the first place?" Twilight asked.

"I was trying to protect...everyone," Midna sighed. "I thought the mirror would only bring more heartbreak to both kingdoms. I thought keeping our worlds separate was the best option. I was so incredibly wrong."

"You...you mean it?" Twilight stammered.

"Of course," Midna agreed. She abruptly pulled away from Twilight. "But I'm guessing you're not here just to see little old me, are you?"

"I wish I was," Twilight said, wiping the tear from his face. "Because...I missed you too. I visited the mirror every day for months."

"Link, I'm so sorry," Midna said sincerely.

Twilight shook his head. "It's alright. Look, we can figure out...whatever we have between us later. For now, you're in danger."

"What?" Midna cried. "How am I in danger?"

"Zelda's been captured," Twilight explained.

"Again?" Midna groaned. "By who? And what does that have to do with me?"

"By _what_, is the correct question," Twilight muttered. "A question that I don't have the answer to. But it's coming for you."

"How do you know?" Midna asked.

"It fixed the mirror," Twilight answered. "That's how I got here."

"The mirror is fixed?" Midna repeated.

Twilight nodded. "That thing's coming for you."

"We'll fight it off," Midna snarled. She looked over her shoulder. Hanging on the wall behind her desk was the completed Fused Shadows. "I've still got them. This thing should be no problem."

"I'll be no problem?" the voice laughed. "Oh, I doubt that."

Twilight unsheathed the Master Sword. "That's it. That's the beast."

"Beast?" the voice snickered. "If I recall you're a bit of a beast too, aren't you, Twilight?"

"Shut up and show yourself!" Midna cried, holding out her hands. Red and black Twili magic flickered between her fingers.

"I'm afraid I don't have time for this," the voice sighed. Midna's quill that she had dropped earlier was blown by a sudden wind off the ground, and right towards Midna. It froze, just before her neck. Midna prepared to blast it, but the voice began speaking again. "If either of you so much as move...well...the quill goes right through her neck."

"What's a stupid quill going to do?" Midna questioned, her voice dangerously low.

"It's not just a quill anymore," the voice answered. "See the tip? Does that look like ink to you, Queen of Twilight?" The tip of the quill was covered in a substance that was as red as blood.

Midna didn't reply.

"That's because it's not," the voice continued. "_That_ is the most dangerous poison in all the worlds. I created it myself, by mixing together the blood of five people. Five people, all from different worlds. You see, the different worlds were never meant to meet. Combined, they have created a deadly weapon. One drop on her skin will kill her."

"What do you want from her?" Twilight growled.

"It has nothing to do with her," the voice replied. "But it has everything to do with you. I have this... _instinct_ that you'll be much more cooperative if I have a bargaining chip."

"Alright, I'll play your game!" Twilight yelled. "What do you want from me?"

"I want your piece of the Triforce," the voice sneered.

"Deal!" Twilight screamed. "Take it! Just let her go!"

"Link, don't do this!" Midna cried. "Don't give that thing your Triforce!"

"I won't lose you again!" Twilight yelled. "I've lost you twice! I'm not doing it a third time!"

"I'm glad we have a deal," the voice snickered, the quill dropping to the floor. "Hold out your left hand, and we'll get this over with."

Twilight begrudgingly held out his hand. He felt his skin begin to crawl. After a few seconds, a gleaming golden triangle sprang out of his hand. The voice laughed evilly. Twilight stared at the Triforce of Courage for several seconds before it was absorbed into one of the awful portals.

Twilight fell to his knees. He started breathing hard. For the first time in his life, Twilight was afraid. And it felt terrible.

"Link, are you alright?" Midna asked, racing over to him.

Twilight stared at her with hollow eyes. "Midna…"

"It's okay," Midna promised. "That thing's gone. It's gone, Link. It's gone."

"I... have to go," Twilight slurred.

"Go?" Midna repeated sadly.

"That thing's going after the Triforce," Twilight stated. "I... I need to warn my friends. I'm not sure I'll be able to help anymore."

"You're not sure you can help?" Midna sighed. "Why? Because you're scared?"

Twilight nodded.

"That's ridiculous!" Midna snapped. "Fear is completely natural. I know you've never been afraid before, but it's something us normal people have to deal with every day! Don't let this break you, Link. I'm not sure I understand what's going on, but you can beat this thing. You just have to get over your fear. Now, go. I have a kingdom to take care of."

"Thank you, Midna," Twilight said. "I... I think I can do this."

"Well, I _know_ you can do it," Midna replied. "And we both know I'm never wrong."

Twilight laughed halfheartedly. "That's the biggest lie that was ever told."

Midna smiled. "Good. You're going to be just fine. If you can still argue with me... you'll do alright."

Twilight flashed her a broken smile, then turned and exited the room. He walked quickly through the castle. He wanted to run, for time was of the essence, but he knew that would cause unnecessary panic. He kept looking down at his left hand. He could not believe his Triforce was really gone. At last, he stood before the mirror's portal once again. He entered, waving goodbye to all the citizens of the Twilight Realm who had come to watch him depart.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Twilight stumbled out of the portal. His heart was still beating fast. His newfound fear had yet to fade. Time caught him, keeping him from falling. "Well? What happened in there?"

"I…" Twilight began, then shook his head. "Remember my Triforce mark?"

Everyone nodded.

Twilight showed off the back of his left hand. And the lack of the aforementioned mark.

Time sucked in a deep breath. "That thing got your Triforce? How?"

"Forget that, are you okay?" Sky asked gently. "You look terrible."

"He's terrified," Time stated. "Without his Triforce...he's completely terrified."

"I'll be fine," Twilight insisted. "I'll...I'll be fine."

"Why did it take it?" Wild asked.

"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "But my guess is he wants to complete the Triforce."

"What if he wants all five Triforces?" Wind asked. "What if he's coming for our pieces too?"

"I thought you said you lost yours, kid," Twilight said, cocking his head. He was shaking but trying hard not to show it. "You know, when the king drowned Hyrule and stuff."

"Me too," Wind agreed. "But while we were at your house, I checked again and…" he showed off the Triforce mark on the back of his left hand. "It came back, I guess."

"The Triforce goes to those who most prominently display its trait," Time explained. "Just because it was used doesn't change the fact that you're still the bearer of the Triforce of Courage."

"Really?" Sky asked, pulling off his right bracer. He gasped. "Look! Mine's there too!"

"I have one too," Wild breathed, staring at his own mark.

"That thing's coming for them," Twilight stated. "I know it."

"How do we stop it?" Wind asked.

"That's the problem," Twilight sighed. "I have no idea."

"It has to have a source of power somewhere," Time said. "All power comes from somewhere."

"Still not helpful," Wild muttered. "Seeing as we have no idea how to find it."

"Wait…" Sky began, thinking hard. "I might have an idea."

"Well, go on!" Twilight exclaimed. "Spill it!"

"The nothing," Sky said.

"The nothing," Time repeated skeptically. "How could that be a source of anything? It's...well, nothing."

"Think about it!" Sky exclaimed. "The monster can control it. It seems to connect our worlds. And the monster seems to have powers that come from our worlds."

"Like the wind," Wind agreed.

"And the Twili magic," Twilight breathed.

"What about possessions?" Time asked.

"That's you, Time...or you know…" Sky trailed off, staring at the ground again.

"My mask," Time sighed.

Sky nodded. "Yeah. The mask."

"So, assuming the nothing _is_ his power source," Wild began.

"Oh, come on, Mr. Negative!" Twilight groaned. "Why you always have to go and rip up our ideas?"

"I am simply asking the questions no one else is bothering to," Wild replied calmly. "As I was saying, if the nothing is his source of power, how do we destroy it?"

"We need a Triforce," Wind said.

Time swore.

"Time!" Twilight cried. "In front of the kid?"

"Brilliant!" Time went on, oblivious to Wind's stunned expression. "Just brilliant! And just how are we going to get our hands on a Triforce?"

"We bargain," Wild suggested.

"That won't work," Sky sighed. "That thing wants all the Triforces for itself. No, that won't work. We need to avoid that thing at all costs. If it finds us again, it'll have the advantage. It will threaten someone we love, and we all know what decision we'll make."

There was a collective nodding of heads from everyone in the group.

"So, what are you proposing?" Time asked.

"We need to find our Zeldas," Sky began. "Now more than ever. Wherever it's keeping them, that's got to be where its keeping the Triforces of Wisdom and Power."

"And my Triforce," Twilight realized.

"I bet it's lair in the nothing," Wind said gravely. "We just have to find it."

"Well," Twilight began nervously. "Looks like we've got a plan."

"Looks like we do," Time agreed.

"You going to be okay, Twilight?" Sky asked gently.

"I'll be fine," Twilight muttered. "Come on. The closest portal is in Hyrule Castle."

The group set off at a brisk pace. They walked across the desert as quickly as possible, but it still took several hours. It took several more hours to get from the bridge to Hyrule Castle Town. The heroes paid no mind to the crowd of people gathered inside the town, demanding answers to countless questions they didn't have the answer to. Twilight commanded the guards at Hyrule Castle's walls to let them through. Recognizing their hero, the guards complied quickly. Twilight led them all to the ballroom, where it had all begun.

"Alright," Time began, "that thing should have no idea what we're doing. It's probably waiting for us in another world. We need to grab the Triforce pieces as quickly as possible and get out."

Everyone nodded.

"Great," Time said with a tired smile. "Twilight. Do your thing."

Twilight nodded, even though the idea of transforming was suddenly horrifying. He forced himself to ignore the feeling and open up his locket. He started shaking again, holding the open locket in his palm.

"You can do it, Twilight," Sky whispered. "The Triforce chose you for a reason. You still have that courage. It's just not as easy to find."

Twilight smiled sadly. "Thanks for the pep talk." With that, he turned the locket over, spilling the crystal into his hand. He shuddered as he transformed, but he didn't let his fear stop him. He called upon the Master Sword and returned to his Hylian form. The world cracked open.

"We should hold hands this time," Wind said.

"Scared, kid?" Twilight asked, staring at the crack with a pale face. He forced himself to give Wind a hollow smirk.

"What? No?" Wind exclaimed. "You're one to talk!"

Twilight took a step back. "I-I was just kidding. I'm sorry…"

"No…no..." Wind sighed. "I'm sorry. That was mean. But I still think we should hold hands. It will help us stay together in the nothing."

"Wind's right," Sky agreed. "No one's getting lost this time." He held out his hand to Wild. Wild took it, albeit rather reluctantly. Time grabbed Sky's other hand. All five heroes formed one long line, and they stepped into the crack together.

Now that they were holding hands, the nothing wasn't as consuming. Sky looked around, a smile on his face. Nothing surrounded them all, but it seemed they all were still awake. Well...all except Twilight. He was still holding on tight to Wind's hand, but his eyes were closed.

"He couldn't handle it," Time sighed.

"Doesn't matter," Sky sighed. "We'll drag him along. Hopefully he'll wake up eventually."

"That will slow us down," Wild argued.

"We're not leaving him!" Sky exclaimed.

"We don't have time," Wild stated. "Let him go."

"What's your deal?" Sky demanded. "This whole adventure, you've hardly spoken. The only times you have were to remind us to quit wasting time."

"I failed the princess once before," Wild stated. "It took me 100 years to make up for it. I'm not doing that again."

"Well, I'm not leaving Twilight behind," Sky said stubbornly. "He's doing his best."

"Without his Triforce he's worthless to us," Wild said. His tone remained infuriatingly calm.

"He gave up his Triforce to save the woman he loves!" Sky cried. "You act like that's a sin!"

"Clearly I know nothing about love," Wild observed. "Good thing I don't feel that way about anyone…"

"You have no one?" Wind asked, breathless. "No one you'd lay down your life for?"

"I'd lay down my life for the princess," Wild answered. "Because that is my job as her personal knight. There is nothing more to it than that."

"Somehow I doubt that," Time said. "But we better get going. And we're bringing Twilight. End of discussion."

Wild scowled but said nothing more.

"So, what are we looking for here?" Sky asked, looking around for anything besides nothing.

"An evil lair!" Wind cried excitedly. "A big, black castle with blood red curtains!"

"Not helping, Wind," Sky sighed.

"Maybe if we just focus," Time suggested. "That's how we've gotten out of the nothing before. We focused and waited for the light."

"Yeah," Sky agreed. "But what do we focus on now? Before we focused on ourselves."

"How about clearing away the nothing?" Wind guessed. "So, we can see what's around us."

"Worth a shot," Time shrugged. Everyone closed their eyes, focusing on washing the nothing away. The familiar light began approaching. But this time, as it washed over the heroes, it did not force them out of the crack in the world. Instead it tore the nothing away as though pulling a blindfold off the heroes' eyes. The light revealed a whole new world.

Everything was either white or black. There was no color to be found anywhere. The group found themselves in a grassy field, with a castle a little way up the road. The grass was white. The brick path they were all standing on was black. The castle was a fascinating blend of white and black. The colors swirled around each other as though in an intricate dance. But the strangest part about this new world was that even though it was filled with black and white, there was no gray. The white and black never mixed.

From behind the heroes, someone took a deep breath. They all whirled around, but it was only Twilight. "Did I miss something?" he asked in awe, his eyes taking in the strange, new world.

"Not really," Wild replied.

Sky shot him a glare.

"I'm going to assume I don't want to know what I missed," Twilight decided.

"Good decision," Time agreed.

"Let's get going," Wild said. "The castle must be what we're looking for." He began walking towards the castle.

"I swear," Sky grumbled. "He's got issues."

"Well, he's not wrong," Twilight admitted. "It has to be the castle. Now come on. We don't want him dying, do we?"

"That's debatable," Time sighed. Nonetheless, he and everyone else began hurrying after Wild. They caught up to him at the castle's gates. He pushed open one of the doors silently. He turned around and gestured for everyone to be quiet. They all nodded. They tiptoed through the castle's corridors, looking for anything that could provide a clue as to the Triforce's whereabouts. But there was nothing. However, the inside of the castle was quite interesting, nonetheless. It appeared as though there had been a fight. Furniture was upturned or broken. White and black ashes littered the floor. Broken glass was everywhere, and there were many windows that lacked their panes.

"This place is too big, we need to split up," Wild suggested.

"That would be suicide!" Sky hissed. "No, we're staying together."

"We should check the dungeon," Time said. "If not the Triforce...our Zeldas should be there."

"Good idea," Twilight agreed. "Look. Stairs that lead down." The group headed down the stairs. As they descended there was less and less white. And more and more black. When they exited the stairwell, there was no white at all. Everything was black.

Yet they had found what they were looking for. The dungeon was not really a dungeon. It was more of a sick trophy room. There were pedestals. Fifteen pedestals. All big enough to fit a person, except one that was enormous. And ten of them were occupied. On each occupied pedestal was either one of the captured Zeldas or a villain that one of the present heroes had already defeated. And they were all turned to stone.

"No…" Sky breathed, seeing his Zelda. He raced towards the pedestal, almost tripping over himself in his haste. She had been petrified while she was being attacked. Her arm was raised defensively, a look of terror in her eyes. Floating above her head was her piece of the Triforce. "Not again...don't leave me again…"

"Okay…" Twilight said, feeling his heart beginning to tighten up with fear. "Who here can turn things to stone?"

"I-I can…" Wind stammered, staring at Tetra. She had her sword unsheathed and a fierce snarl upon her face. Her Triforce piece also floated above her. "That's how I defeated Ganondorf." He turned to face his villain's pedestal. He was on his knees. The Master Sword was still stuck in his head. His Triforce was floating above him.

Every villain and every Zelda had their Triforce floating above them. One of the empty pedestals had a Triforce floating over it. "Those other pedestals," Twilight began. "They're meant for us. That's my Triforce of Courage!"

"There's no way to get to it," Time sighed. "I'm sorry. Not even my Longshot can reach up that high."

Twilight nodded sadly. "Then how are we going to get any of the other pieces?"

"I'll get them," Wild volunteered. "I can climb anything."

"Hurry," Sky said.

Wild nodded. He began climbing up Calamity Ganon's pedestal. The other heroes could only watch as Wild grabbed the Triforce of Power, then the Triforce of Wisdom, and finally summoned the Triforce of Courage from the back of his own hand. "Now what do we do?" he asked, staring at the completed Triforce before them.

"Make a wish," Wind replied. "You get one wish. Whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" Wild repeated.

"Don't we want to destroy the nothing?" Time questioned.

"Yes," Wild agreed quickly. "Yes, of course." He rested a hand on the Triforce.

"I just realized," Twilight breathed. "If we do this...we'll all die."

"Who cares?" Wind shrugged. "We're saving the world!"

"But so do our Zeldas!" Twilight insisted.

Wild lifted his hand off the golden relic.

"Easy fix," Time began. "Don't destroy the nothing. Destroy the monster!"

Wild smirked. He placed his hand back on the Triforce and opened his mouth to speak.

"Or on second thought...maybe don't do that," the voice snickered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

For the first time the heroes got to see the monster that haunting voice belonged to. It was also a combination of black and white. The monster was vaguely humanoid, as it stood on two legs. It wore a cloak. One side was white, the other black. It had two eyes. One was white, the other black. It wielded two swords. One was white, the other black. Yet, the black was starting to take over. As the heroes watched, the white eye was slowly being infected by black. The white sword was slowly turning black as well. Even the white half of the cloak was slowly being turned black. The creature snapped its white and black fingers. The Triforce disappeared, its pieces returning to their places above their owners' pedestals. Wild's returned to his hand.

"No!" Time cried.

Wild looked stunned.

"That's cheating!" Wind exclaimed.

The monster laughed. "Cheating? You're in my home. You play by my rules."

"That's stupid!" Twilight snarled. He was trembling but trying hard to stay strong.

"Stupid?" the monster repeated. "No, that's logic. By the way, how are you faring Twilight? Don't think I don't see you shaking in terror."

"I'll get over it," Twilight snapped.

The creature shrugged. "Sure, you will. But you'll have to let all your friends know how it feels. They'll be feeling the same way shortly." It whistled, an awful, raspy sound that caused Twilight to double over in pain. His hearing was very sensitive.

Four people shuffled dejectedly into the room. Their hands were all chained. Each had a chain around one ankle, dragging a solid, metal ball behind. The chains were all black. The first person was a tall man with white hair and large, brown eyes. He wore a ripped orange tunic and a dirty red scarf around his neck.

"Gaepora," Sky breathed.

The second was a middle-aged woman with red hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a white tunic with dark stains on it and a tattered purple skirt.

Time stared at her with a devastated gaze. "Malon…"

The third was a young girl with bright blond hair put up in pigtails. She wore a long blue dress that had several holes in it.

Wind started breathing faster. "Aryll!"

The last person was an elderly woman. She was very, very short with white hair. She wore an extremely oversized hat and a white and blue tunic that was also a mess.

Wild stiffened. "Impa."

The creature laughed as the four heroes took in the four people before them. Only Twilight remained glaring at the monster. "You know how this is going to go," the creature began confidently. "Your Triforces for their lives. Do we have a deal?"

Before anyone could reply, Twilight blurted out, "Give us a minute to talk it over!"

The monster looked taken aback. "I don't think this is your decision to make."

Twilight looked desperately at Time. Time understood. "Yeah, give us a minute."

"Fine," the creature decided. "You have one minute."

The five heroes quickly formed a small huddle. "I hope you know what you're doing," Time growled to Twilight.

"Yeah, we've got lives on the line," Wild spat.

"Look, I'm not going to try and persuade you not to give them to him," Twilight began. "I made the same decision I know you all are going to. But I've got a plan."

"Really?" Wind asked hopefully.

Twilight nodded. "Here's what it is. Time, you still got that mask?"

Time nodded.

"Great. We'll be needing it," Twilight replied. "Give it to Sky…"

"M-me?" Sky stammered. "I could barely control it _with_ the Triforce. Who knows what'll happen without it!"

"I know, I know," Twilight agreed. "But we need that thing's power, and you're our best shot. It took you five minutes to figure it out, while it took Time two years. I'll be encouraging you just like before. Obviously, go attack that monster. Can you do that?"

"I can try," Sky decided.

"You've got this," Twilight encouraged. "While Sky's attacking that thing, Wild you go get another Triforce. As soon as you've got it completed, just make the wish. Don't draw attention to yourself. We've only got one shot at this. Think you can do it?"

Wild nodded.

Sky nodded.

"What should I do?" Wind asked eagerly.

"You know how to revert everyone back from stone?" Twilight asked.

Wind shook his head sadly.

"Think about it then," Twilight decided. "Alright. Everyone know what they're doing?"

Everyone nodded.

"Your minute is up," the monster yawned. "Twilight, I hope you're not trying to talk them out of this. You made this decision in seconds!"

Time turned to face the monster first. Without a word, he held out his left hand. Wind followed suit. Sky and Wild held out their right hands.

Malon's eyes widened. "No! No, don't do this! Don't do it, Link!" she screamed.

Impa shook her head. "This is a foolish decision, Link."

Aryll just looked terrified. She was holding desperately onto Malon's hand. Malon had her other hand wrapped around her in a comforting fashion.

"Link, think about what you're doing!" Gaepora begged. "I'm not worth this. Please. Don't do it."

The monster allowed the group to continue their useless pleading for several minutes. Then it laughed. "Well. Looks like your heroics aren't appreciated, are they?"

No one answered.

"But it doesn't matter what they want," the creature went on. "This is your choice. And I think you've decided." With that, he held out his hands. All four Links shivered as though they were cold before the gleaming Triforce of Courage extricated itself from each of their hands. He snapped his fingers, and the pieces reappeared above each empty pedestal. With another snap, all four prisoners vanished. Only their chains remained. "I promise they're home safe," the creature assured them. "You might think me evil, but I'm not a liar."

The heroes couldn't do anything except trust that thing for now. Twilight looked to see how his friends were doing. Not good. Wind looked like he wanted to fall over from fear. Time still had a snarl plastered on his face, but his one blue eye was completely hollowed out from terror. Sky was shaking and not even bothering to hide it. Only Wild looked like he was doing alright, but Twilight couldn't be sure. Wild was really good at poker faces. Time silently slipped Sky the Fierce Deity Mask when the monster wasn't looking.

"Well, I'm sure you can guess what comes next," the monster sighed. "My pedestals are looking rather empty, you know."

"Not happening!" Sky yelled, forcing himself to put on the mask. He screamed in pain again as the transformation happened. When the Fierce Deity straightened up, its eyes flickered back and forth between blue and white before settling on white. The Fierce Deity looked at the monster for a few seconds before turning on the four remaining heroes.

"N-no," Twilight stammered. "Come on, Sky! We need you to do this!"

The monster watched the proceedings in silence. Then it began laughing. "Well. That was a terrible plan."

The Fierce Deity's eyes flickered. White still easily won out. It unsheathed its sword.

"Sky, you can do this!" Twilight went on. "Think about Zelda!"

The Fierce Deity froze. White had a harder time winning.

"That's it!" Time hissed to Twilight. "Keep him thinking about Zelda!"

Twilight nodded quickly. "Come on, Sky! I know how much you love Zelda! Do this for her!"

The Fierce Deity froze again. White was losing its hold.

The monster looked concerned. It unsheathed its two swords and charged the struggling Deity.

"Defend him!" Time cried. "If he dies, we're goners!" He unsheathed his Double Helix sword and ran at the monster, forcing it to pay attention to him.

Wind nodded and followed behind Time.

Twilight and Wild stayed behind. They were both needed. "Come on, you're almost there, Sky!" Twilight went on. "Don't let this monster take Zelda from you!"

The Fierce Deity snarled, its eyes still spasming. White won out once more, but Twilight could tell it was working. Sky was gaining control.

Time and Wind weren't doing so well. Anytime either of them got close, the monster would snap its fingers and teleport behind them.

"Hey, Sky!" Twilight continued desperately. "I hope you'll tell me when the wedding is! I also hope I'm invited! You know, since we're saving the world together!"

Twilight's sarcasm was the final key. The white eyes finally yielded to Sky's cerulean blue ones. He shook himself off and turned to face the beast.

Its eyes widened. "No!" it screamed, completely out of patience. Wind backed off, ready to let Sky do his part.

But Time laughed and charged one final time. The monster was infuriated now, and no longer felt like playing with its prey. A blast of grey magic whizzed from its fingers. Time attempted to dodge, but he was too slow. The blast connected with his shoulder, and he turned into stone.

"No!" Sky yelled, his eyes flickering again. He quickly regained his control and began attacking the monster in a fit of rage.

"Go, Wild," Twilight whispered. The monster was totally distracted now. It attempted to turn Sky to stone, but his Double Helix sword could somehow block the blasts. Wild nodded and began scampering up the backside of one of the Ganondorf pedestals.

Twilight forced himself to tear his eyes from Wild, not wanting to draw attention to the other hero. He watched Sky and the monster fight. He and Wind would've helped, but they only would've gotten in Sky's way. This fight was way too high level for them.

The monster and the Fierce Deity swung their swords faster than even Twilight's enhanced eyes could track. There was a lot of jumping and grunting and sparks flying everywhere. It was impossible to tell who was winning. But it didn't matter. Sky only needed to hold it off until Wild completed a Triforce.

The two impossibly powerful beings fought back and forth for several more minutes. Twilight was beginning to get impatient with Wild, but he couldn't do anything to hurry him. All he could do was watch the fight between Sky and the monster. He continually encouraged his friend to ensure he didn't lose control, but that didn't seem to be a concern. Sky's eyes weren't even flickering any more. They remained completely blue.

But time was running out, Twilight realized, a knot forming in his stomach. The monster got in a good slice right along Sky's face and through his eye. Sky screamed in pain and stumbled backwards. Blood was streaming from where his eye had been. But he regained his balance quickly, barely managing to block the monster's next swing. It looked like he was going to have to fight with only one eye. Twilight forced himself to not look for the other one. He feared he might throw up if he found it.

The beast landed another blow, this time slashing across Sky's torso. More blood began running down him, staining the Fierce Deity's white and silver armor a disgusting red. Sky screamed again, his hands beginning to shake from all the pain. But he wasn't quitting. He kept fighting, even though Twilight could tell it laborious now. He was breathing hard and struggled to even remain standing.

"We need to help!" Wind hissed to Twilight.

Twilight shook his head. "We'd be getting ourselves killed. Sky's still fighting faster than we ever could. We don't want to get in his way."

Wind scowled but didn't argue any further.

The monster knocked Sky off his feet and began slowly pressing his sword into his neck. Sky thrashed, but the beast wouldn't let him stand.

"Any last words?" the monster growled.

Sky's eyes flickered. He barely held onto control. "You _will_ pay for taking Zelda from me again."

"Seems unlikely," the monster decided. He blasted Sky with magic, turning him to stone. Sky shuddered slightly before the magic completely took hold. Then the monster turned on Twilight and Wind, and they both knew they were doomed. Even so, they bravely unsheathed their swords, preparing for one final fight.

But suddenly, the monster froze. It began screaming in pain. Twilight watched in utter horror as the monster literally burned from the inside out. Somehow, its insides had been lit on fire and the flames consumed it very, very slowly. Its tortured screams reverberated around in Twilight's head for several seconds even after the monster was simply a pile of ashes on the ground. Both Wind and Twilight stared at the ashes for a while before daring to turn around and search for Wild. He was perched on top of his Zelda's head awkwardly, staring down at the ashes with a look of contentment upon his face.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

"Sure took you long enough!" Twilight spat.

"Like you could've done better," Wild answered calmly.

"Did you make it die like that?" Wind breathed.

"Yes," Wild answered. "I wished for its death to be as painful as possible. I believe that is more than fair, considering what it took from me. From all of us."

"A bit dark," Twilight shuddered. "But...I don't totally disagree."

"Wind. Have you figured out how to fix everyone yet?" Wild demanded, ignoring Twilight's last comment.

"We could try light arrows," Wind suggested. "You know, since they're pure and all that. Anyone else have those?"

"I don't," Twilight sighed. "Zelda does but she's...out of commission right now. I also doubt she brought any with her."

"I do," Wild replied. "But we should simply tap them with the head of the arrow. If it doesn't work, we don't want to shoot them and chip the stone."

Wind nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. I'll get the ones I can reach, and you get all the others. You can go first, to make sure it does work. If not, we'll need to think of something else."

"Yeah, Wild," Twilight snickered. "That way you won't be able to keep badgering us about 'wasting time.'"

Wild glared at Twilight and drew an ornate bow from his inventory bag. It was golden, shiny, and carved intricately. If you could call a weapon beautiful, this one would be. Wild put his hand on the bowstring, and a glowing golden arrow appeared in his hand. He removed it from the bow and lightly tapped his Zelda with the tip. Nothing happened. Wild scowled and put his bow away.

"Any other ideas?" he growled to Wind.

"I'm not the only one with a brain!" Wind retorted.

"It's your ability," Wild replied.

"But I didn't even mean to do it!" Wind exclaimed. "I stabbed Ganondorf in the head with the Master Sword, and it just happened!"

"Okay, enough arguing!" Twilight butted in. "That means that it's kind of a holy power. That explains why the light arrows wouldn't do anything. We need to find something dark."

"Like Time's mask?" Wind suggested.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "That might do it." He turned to face Sky. Sky was still lying on his back, his arms still pinned to the floor by some invisible force. But the magic was clearly fading. The tip of the Double Helix sword had returned to whatever strange metal it was made of. Sky's outstretched left hand was returning to flesh, but it lay at his side limply.

"I guess we just have to wait," Twilight shrugged.

"I wish we could help," Wind sighed.

"Me too, kid," Twilight agreed. "But what can we do?"

Wind's shoulders slumped. He couldn't think of anything.

Wild said nothing, but it was clear he wasn't pleased. He didn't show it on his face, but he paced back and forth impatiently. His steps were short and stiff. Twilight rolled his eyes overdramatically. Wind tried not to laugh.

Finally, after a few minutes, Sky's face fixed itself. He took a deep breath, and his eye flickered again. The other three stayed back for a second in case he lost control again. But the eye remained blue, and Twilight hesitantly approached.

"How are you feeling?" he asked awkwardly. What are you supposed to say to someone who just got turned into a statue?

"Okay, I guess," Sky rasped. He spit gravel out of his mouth. "Everything still hurts. Especially my eye and my side. I still can't feel my legs at all, which means I can't get up yet. How did you guys fix me?"

"We didn't do anything," Twilight explained. "Time's mask did it."

Sky scowled. "I still hate this thing, even if I owe it my life now."

"What does it feel like?" Wind asked, sitting down next to his temporarily paralyzed ally.

"Being stone or wearing this?" Sky questioned.

"Both," Wind decided.

"Well, being stone doesn't feel like anything," Sky explained. "It's like being in the nothing, only there's no escape. No light to come and save you."

"Yeesh," Twilight shuddered. "Sounds awful."

Sky nodded. "Yeah...kind of. But this mask is worse. It's like fighting a war for your own body. All the time. I'm still doing it. It's exhausting and hard."

"You're doing great," Twilight encouraged. "And once you're completely unsolidified, we'll get it off, alright?"

Sky nodded.

For a while, no one said anything. Sky lifted his legs as they became more and more free, but he still couldn't get up yet.

"Is my face alright?" he asked. "You all keep staring at it."

"You mean besides being covered in red and blue stripes?" Twilight quipped hesitantly.

"You know what I meant," Sky pressed, though his voice tightened a bit. "What's wrong?"

Twilight and Wind shared a look.

"Your eye," Wild replied when neither of the others would.

"My eye?" Sky repeated. He lifted his free arm and gently touched his empty eye socket. Then he screamed, his one blue eye flickering. Twilight and Wind scampered away. But Sky retained control, and Twilight and Wind sheepishly sat back down.

But Sky didn't seem to notice their reaction. If he did, he didn't care. He kept his hand pressed on where his eye should've been. "I... lost an eye?" he breathed finally.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "You did."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sky demanded.

"I assumed you knew!" Twilight exclaimed. "I thought that maybe, oh I don't know, losing your eyesight in one eye might be a big hint!"

"I just thought it was covered in blood," Sky sighed.

"Here," Wind said, holding out a red potion, "maybe this will fix it."

"Yeah, maybe," Sky replied, taking the bottle. He didn't sound hopeful. "If not, it should at least fix the cut in my side."

Wind nodded.

Sky drank the magical red liquid. He breathed in relief as the slash in his side healed itself, not even leaving behind a scar. But his eye was a different story. The potion didn't heal it completely, but it did help. Instead of leaving behind a rather nasty looking empty eye socket, it forced the eyelid down and created a scar over it. It was still kind of disgusting, but much better than what it had been. Sky sighed, running his hand over his eye. "I didn't think so. Thanks anyways, Wind."

Wind smiled sadly.

"Don't worry about it," Twilight consoled. "We'll get you an eyepatch and you'll look good as new! I could even make a white one for your wedding if you want!"

Sky laughed hollowly. "I suppose."

Silence filled the room again.

"Get up," Wild commanded eventually. He pointed to Sky's legs. "You're fine now."

"Real sympathetic, Wild," Twilight grumbled. "Sky's having self-esteem issues right now!"

"I am not!" Sky scoffed, getting up. He pulled the mask off his face and held it out to Wild. Wild took it gingerly. "Just hold it up to her face," Sky commanded. "You can feel it even before you put it on, so that way we won't have anyone getting possessed."

Wild nodded in acknowledgement. He climbed up his Zelda's pedestal and held the mask up to her face. Her hands were freed first, just like Sky. The group waited in bated breath for several minutes until Wild's Zelda had her face freed. She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes fluttering. Wild lowered the mask.

"Princess," he stated, bowing before her.

Sky followed suit. Twilight and Wind hesitated, but they did as well.

Zelda took in the strange group before her before looking down at Wild. "Link...whatever happened? Oh, my goodness! It's you all again! And it looks like you made even more allies!" She studied Wind for a moment.

"It's a long story, princess," Wild replied.

"Well, I'm sure we'll have time later," Zelda decided. "But for now ...could you finish freeing me? And please stand up everyone! I'm certainly in no state to be bowed to."

"Of course, princess," Wild agreed quickly. He raised the mask over Zelda's face again. She shuddered slightly before relaxing again.

"While we're waiting," Zelda began, realizing this was going to take a while, "why me first, Link? I could see all these other people frozen."

"You are my first priority, princess," Wild answered.

Zelda scoffed. "I could've waited a few more minutes!"

Wild didn't reply.

"Glad to see someone's putting him in his place," Twilight snickered. Sky elbowed him.

"Well, he deserves it sometimes," Zelda shrugged.

"I do hope you know I'm listening, princess," Wild stated.

"Oh, I'm well aware," Zelda agreed.

Wild sighed.

Finally, Zelda was completely free. Wild helped her get down off the pedestal and handed Sky the mask. "Free whoever you wish next."

Sky stared up at his Zelda desperately. He tore his gaze from her however and looked to Time. He still had his sword raised and a fierce snarl upon his face. His eyes still almost glowed with fury, staring down an enemy that wasn't there anymore. "We should help Time first. He saved me. He saved us all."

Twilight nodded in consent.

Sky walked over to the frozen hero and held up the mask. After several minutes of waiting, Time took a deep breath. Sky lowered the mask, letting him see everything around him. He was still breathing hard. His blue eye frantically searched the room for the monster. Then it widened as he took in Wild standing behind his Zelda dutifully, Wind and Twilight calmly sitting on the floor, and Sky holding the Fierce Deity Mask.

"W-what happened?" he stammered.

"Wild did it," Twilight explained. "It's dead."

"Thank the goddesses," Time sighed in relief. "But, Sky. Your eye…"

Sky nodded sadly. "I know."

"I'm so sorry," Time said sincerely. "I know better than anyone what that feels like."

Sky nodded again. "Thanks."

"You can't see out of that eye?" Zelda blurted out.

"No, I can't," Time agreed.

"Huh," Zelda decided.

Sky raised the mask to continue the process, and Time flinched.

"It's the only way to undo the spell," Sky assured him.

"Fine," Time growled. Sky raised the mask once more, and Time started shaking.

"Is he alright?" Zelda asked, sounding concerned.

"He's fine," Twilight promised. "He and this mask have a rather...personal history."

Zelda didn't press the matter, but it was clear she was intrigued.

"We should probably work on getting our Triforces back," Wind said.

"We have no way of getting to them," Sky sighed. "They're all the way up there."

"Once I'm free, I can help Wild reach them," Time suggested. "He can stand on my shoulders and get them down."

Wild nodded in consent.

After a few more minutes, Time was finally free. He smiled widely. "Ah, that's much better. Thanks, Sky."

Sky nodded, but he wasn't paying any attention to him anymore. His eyes had wandered back to his Zelda's pedestal.

"Here, I'll help you get up there," Time offered. He knelt down, allowing the shorter hero to clamber awkwardly onto his shoulders. Time stood up again, and Sky climbed onto his Zelda's pedestal. With the biggest smile, any of them had ever seen, Sky held the mask up to her face.

"Come on," Wild commanded Time. "Let's go get our Triforces back."

"No, let's wait a minute," Time objected. "I want to watch this."

Wild's Zelda sighed dramatically. "Young love. So sweet." Her eyes involuntarily flicked over to Wild. He didn't notice.

Twilight raised an eyebrow but didn't mention it. "You look pretty young yourself," he said instead.

She laughed. "Oh, I know! But I'm 117 years old!"

Twilight nodded. "I suppose I should've put the pieces together."

Wild's Zelda shrugged. "Its fine. I hardly think of myself that way anyways. At this point, my 100-year long fight feels more like a really, really long day. It's all just kind of blurred together."

Wild looked at the ground.

"Oh, quit sulking!" his Zelda scolded gently. "You need to quit beating yourself up over this! It's not your fault."

"I failed you, princess," Wild insisted.

"You did everything you could," his Zelda sighed. She turned to everyone else. "He could hardly stand anymore, but he stood in front of a guardian for me. There was no way he could've blocked that laser, not in the condition he was in. He was going to take the laser for me. Do any of you call that failing?"

Twilight shook his head quickly. Wind looked awestruck. Time shook his head as well.

Suddenly, a deep breath echoed around the room. Sky and his Zelda were now staring into each other's eyes, bright smiles on both their faces.

"Zelda," Sky began. Tears of joy and relief were running down his face. "I…"

But his Zelda pressed a finger into his lips. "Why don't we just skip the talking?" She removed her finger and pressed her lips against his.

Twilight opened his mouth to say something snarky, but Time slapped him. "Don't you dare," he hissed. Twilight raised his arms in mock surrender.

After quite a few seconds, the couple pulled apart. Then Zelda's happy eyes saddened, and she raised a hand. She brushed Sky's scarred eye gently. "Link...what happened?"

Sky looked at the floor. "I had to fight that monster."

"And it took your eye?" his Zelda finished.

Sky nodded.

"I'm so sorry," she began.

Sky shook his head. "It doesn't matter. For you, I'd go through so much worse."

Zelda smiled sadly. Then she noticed Twilight. "Y-you…you were there when I was taken!"

Twilight nodded. "I was."

"He's a friend," Sky said quickly.

Zelda nodded. "I thought for sure that I had just been delirious. I mean, you both look so much alike!"

Twilight nodded. "You have no idea."

"W-what do you mean by that?" Zelda asked nervously.

"It's a long story," Sky sighed. "Here. I'll explain while I finish freeing you, alright?"

"Okay," Zelda decided. Sky held the mask up again and began explaining all that had transpired between her capture and now. Wild's Zelda listened intently as well.

"Come," Wild said to Time. "Let's get our Triforces back."

"Don't you dare get mine first, Link!" Wild's Zelda called. "I can wait!"

Wild abruptly turned around and pretended like he hadn't been heading in that direction. Instead, he paused before Twilight's empty pedestal. He easily climbed up and turned to see how Time was going to make it up.

"Back up," Time commanded. Wild retreated to the edge of the platform. Time ran at the pedestal, digging his sword into the ground once he was only a few feet away. He pushed down on the blade, launching himself upwards. He landed on both feet easily. Wild refused to look impressed.

But Time did earn himself a small, "Whoa," from Wind, as well as a round of applause from Twilight. Wild climbed up onto Time's shoulders and grabbed Twilight's Triforce piece. He got off the pedestal and walked over to Twilight. He summoned the piece from the back of his hand and offered it to Twilight. Twilight took it gratefully.

For a few seconds he stood with his eyes closed, allowing the familiar power to course through him. Then his eyes opened, once again glowing with a brave and almost reckless light. "That is _so_ much better," he breathed.

Wild nodded in acknowledgement. He and Time retrieved their own pieces, then Wind's, then Wild's Zelda's. He had Sky's ready for him when he and his Zelda where finished undoing the spell. The duo quickly grabbed Sky's Zelda's piece as well.

"Can we save Tetra next?" Wind asked hesitantly.

Twilight looked to Time. They both shrugged. "Sure, kid," Twilight replied. Time assisted the younger hero in getting onto the pedestal, and then Wind held up the mask.

While they waited, Twilight began a conversation. "So, what are we doing with the Triforces of Power?"

"As well as their wielders," Sky added.

"We leave the wielders here," Wild answered easily.

Everyone in the room nodded.

"I say we keep the Triforce of Power," Time said. "That way, we'll each have access to a completed Triforce should it ever be needed."

Once again, everyone nodded.

"But we should lock them up," Wild's Zelda stated. "We wouldn't one someone to have to carry that around. That much power could easily be corruptive, even for the bravest of souls and the soundest of minds."

"I agree," Sky's Zelda said. "We can keep it in the Sealed Temple."

Sky nodded in agreement.

Their conversation was cut off by a sharp cry of, "Just you wait! When I'm finished with you...oh, it's you, Link." Tetra had been freed.

"Yeah, just me," Wind agreed.

"Where'd that thing go?" Tetra demanded. "I was just about to teach it a lesson!" She seemed completely oblivious of her current state.

"Sure you were," Twilight snickered.

"Say that to my face, you awful-mannered beast!" Tetra shrieked.

"Hey!" Twilight shouted. "That is a _very_ personal insult!"

"Alright, let's everyone calm down!" Wind cried. "Tetra, please. That's Twilight. He's part of the reason you're alive right now."

Tetra narrowed her eyes. "What does he mean that's personal?"

"No reason," Twilight replied quickly.

"Please don't push it," Wind begged. "He's nice, alright? And that thing's dead. We killed it."

Tetra scoffed. "That means you went and took all the fun!"

"Okay, it was not fun!" Wind exclaimed. "I had no idea if you were alright! I kept thinking...what was that thing going to do with you? What if it...you know..."

Tetra's hard eyes softened. "Oh, cheer up. I'm just fine, yeah? Well, I would be if you'd finish up whatever you were doing before!"

"Right. I'll get on it," Wind muttered. He held up the mask.

"So, how did that thing die?" Tetra asked. "I bet you killed it, Link."

Wind's face turned red. "I-I hardly did anything."

"That's not true," Time retorted. "You helped me defend Sky."

Sky nodded. "Without your help, we'd all be dead."

Wind shrugged.

"Okay, then what happened?" Tetra demanded. Wind began explaining everything. Time and Wild retrieved Tetra's Triforce. Once both Wind and Tetra were back on the ground, Time and Twilight looked at each other.

"Who's next?" Twilight asked.

"Well," Time sighed. "You can go, I guess."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked.

Time nodded.

"Thanks," Twilight said with a small smile. He held up the mask to his Zelda's face after Time helped him get up. He sighed. "This is an obnoxiously long process."

"You weren't even the one who was frozen!" Tetra agreed.

After a few more minutes, Twilight's Zelda was free. Twilight lowered the mask. She took in her surroundings slowly. "Link...where are we? Who are all these people?"

Twilight smiled mischievously. "That's Link, Link, Link, and Link. And she's Zelda and so is she."

Zelda looked stunned. "I do hope you're kidding."

"He's not," Time stated.

"H-how?" Zelda stammered. "That doesn't make sense."

"This whole adventure hasn't made sense," Wind sighed.

"Got that right," Twilight muttered.

"Is _anyone_ going to explain?" Zelda demanded.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there," Twilight shrugged. "I'm just enjoying my turn being all mysterious and stuff." But he held up the mask and started to explain. Time and Wild grabbed Zelda's Triforce piece and offered it to her.

Finally, Twilight handed the mask over to Time. He gratefully took it and held it up to his Zelda's face.

"So," Twilight's Zelda whispered to him as they waited, "do they know?"

"About my wolf?" Twilight whispered back.

His Zelda nodded.

"The four Links do," Twilight replied. "The other Zeldas don't."

Zelda nodded. "And I assume you wish to keep it that way?"

"If possible," Twilight agreed, "which it might not be. But we'll see."

"What are you two whispering about?" Tetra snapped.

"Important stuff," Twilight sneered.

"Like what?" Tetra demanded.

"We were betting how many times Sky and his Zelda were going to kiss in the next five minutes," Twilight snickered.

Sky rolled his eyes. It was clear to him that wasn't the case, but he didn't press the issue.

"Well, why don't we get the bet started?" his Zelda asked.

"I say we shall," Sky agreed, grinning. They leaned in to kiss each other.

Twilight made loud, obnoxious gagging sounds.

"Would you cut it out?" Time asked. "I would hate for her to wake up to whatever's going on down there."

Twilight stuck out his tongue.

After a few more minutes, Time's Zelda was released. Her blue eyes fluttered for a moment before settling on Time. He bowed slightly. "Zelda."

"Link," she breathed. "What happened? Oh goddesses!" Her eyes had landed on Sky and Twilight. "You were there! When I was captured!"

"We were," Sky agreed. "We did everything we could to help you."

"They did," Time confirmed. "There is no reason to be afraid."

"Perhaps not for you," Zelda scoffed.

Time smiled sadly. "Not for anyone. Up until a few minutes ago, I was without my Triforce. And I was fine. That monster is dead. We killed it."

"How did it get your Triforce?" Zelda demanded.

"It threatened my wife," Time answered. "I made a deal. Her life for my Triforce."

"Yeah, but it's dead now," Twilight added. "Can't exactly hold any of us to our deals anymore."

"No, not anymore," Time agreed.

"Well," Zelda sighed. "I'm glad you're alright."

"You too," Time nodded. He held up the mask and began the long explanation everyone was getting tired of hearing over and over. Once they finished, Wild joined Time on top of the pedestal and grabbed Time's Zelda's Triforce. Time helped her get down.

Wild and Time hurriedly retrieved all the Triforces of Power, and finally they were ready to leave.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

They exited the dark castle and froze. The black and white had begun to fade. The grass was turning green. The dirt path was almost brown.

"What's happening?" Wind asked.

"Perhaps that thing cursed this place," Twilight's Zelda suggested.

"Yes, and now its breaking," Sky's Zelda agreed.

The group watched as everything, the castle included, changed from white and black to normal colors. They hadn't paid any attention to the area behind them before, but now they all spotted a small town. "Want to investigate?" Twilight asked.

"Sure," Time shrugged.

"We should make sure everyone's alright," Sky added.

They took off down the dirt path. It seemed like a pretty normal place now. Flowers dotted the small path. Wild's Zelda even spotted a flower she called a 'silent princess.' Sky noticed several bugs he usually found in his world.

The town was very modest. It was composed of small, wooden houses all painted bright colors. Townspeople wandered the streets, often stopping to observe the decorations that had been put up in shop windows. Nothing seemed wrong.

"Why aren't they freaking out?" Twilight questioned.

"I might know," Wind began. "When I visited Hyrule and everything was frozen in time...it was all black and white. I was the only thing that could move, and I was colorful like normal.

"You think that thing froze time on this place?" Wild's Zelda concluded.

Wind nodded.

"And then I bet he put the nothing all over it," Twilight finished. "Just like when Hyrule was covered in Twilight."

"They won't know anything was ever wrong, then," Time concluded. "Let's leave them alone. No reason to cause unnecessary panic."

"Well, does that mean this world has a Zelda and a Link, just like ours?" Wind questioned.

"It's possible," Time admitted. "Sky, have Fi track him or whatever."

Sky nodded. "Fi, set this world's Link as a new dowsing target."

Fi flew out of the Master Sword. Every Zelda besides Sky's seemed rather disgruntled, but they didn't comment. "Would you like me to set this world's Link as a new dowsing target, Master?"

"Yes, please," Sky agreed.

Fi nodded. "Do you need anything else, Master?"

"No, that's all, thank you," Sky replied. Fi returned to the blade, and Sky began the dowsing process. He frowned. "It's picking up a signal in the castle."

"We have to go in there again?" Twilight whined.

"I bet he was captured!" Tetra cried. "We have to save him!"

Sky nodded. "He was probably in another room." He began leading the way. Everyone followed behind. Sky's frown grew bigger and bigger. He led them back down the stairs and into the dungeon again. It was much more palatable now, with actual colors besides black.

"Are you sure you're doing this right?" Twilight questioned.

Sky didn't reply. He was frozen in shock. He was standing right in front of the beast's ashes. "...This is where the signal leads," he whispered.

"And... you're sure this is right?" Time asked.

Sky nodded numbly.

"But that means…" his Zelda began.

"This Link was evil…" Wild's Zelda breathed.

"How is that possible?" Wind demanded.

"I don't know, kid," Twilight sighed. "I don't know."

"What about this Zelda?" Twilight's Zelda asked. "Sky, can you do your thing on her?"

Sky nodded. "Fi, set this world's Zelda as a new dowsing target."

Fi flew out of the Master Sword. "Are you sure, Master? I am detecting excessive amounts of stress and worry emanating from you and your companions."

"Just do it, please," Sky sighed.

"Of course, Master," Fi agreed quickly. "Can I do anything else for you?"

"No, that's all," Sky answered. Fi returned to the Master Sword. Sky held out the blade. "She's upstairs, I think."

Everyone followed behind him in stunned silence. Sky walked through the castle and up countless flights of stairs. Twilight was just starting to complain when Sky stopped at a closed, wooden door. "She's behind this door," he stated.

"Here we go," Time sighed.

Wild unsheathed his sword. His Zelda shook her head. He refused to put it away.

Sky pushed open the door. It was a bedroom. A huge and exquisite bedroom. An enormous bed took up most of the space, complete with nice, fluffy pillows and blankets. They were beautifully embroidered with familiar symbols like the Triforce. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a pale glow across the room. The walls were a pretty, light pink.

"Is there anyone in here?" Sky questioned.

"I don't see anyone," Time answered.

"Under the bed," Twilight stated. "And she's terrified, so we need to be nice."

"How'd you know?" Tetra demanded.

Twilight winked. "Magic."

Tetra scowled. "I don't trust you."

"Please, let's not do this now," Wind begged. He got down on his hands and knees and pulled up the blankets hanging off the edge of the bed. He went under. The group heard glass breaking. "Hey, hey," he began quickly. "It's okay!"

"You okay, Wind?" Sky asked.

"I promise we're not here to hurt you," Wind went on. He sounded fine. "My friends and I want to help. But we can't do that unless you come out."

There were a few seconds of silence before a quiet, "Okay." Wind crawled out from under the bed, followed by a girl who looked to be about Sky's age. She had thick blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore an elaborate pink dress decorated with flowers and butterflies. But it was wrinkled, probably from her time spent under the bed. She was trembling. She slowly took in the bizarre group now standing before her. In her left hand was a broken glass high heel. She was wearing the other one.

"W-who are you?" she stammered fearfully, holding up the shoe like a weapon.

"This might sound a bit crazy," Twilight began. "But...we're all Link, but from different worlds. And our lady friends, they're all Zelda from different worlds."

"...Link?" the girl breathed.

Sky nodded.

The girl started shaking even harder.

"I assure you we're nothing like that monster," Wild added.

"Y-you met him?" the girl questioned.

"We did," Time growled.

"Then...you must be with him!" the girl screamed, scrambling backwards.

"What?" Sky exclaimed. "No! We're not!"

"You must be," the girl insisted. "Otherwise you'd be frozen! He only lets his allies remain unfrozen…"

"He's dead," Wild stated seriously. "We killed him."

"Y-you did?" the girl asked. "No. No. That's impossible…"

"He really is dead," Sky promised.

"Yeah, we can take you to his ashes if you want!" Twilight added.

"Not helping," his Zelda hissed, lightly slapping him.

"He assured me that wasn't possible," the girl went on. "And with his power...how could he be dead?"

"Did you know him personally?" Time asked.

"Yeah, you act like he talked to you!" Tetra snapped. She put her hand on the hilt of her sword, but Wind stopped her from unsheathing it. She glared at him.

"I-I did," the girl admitted. "But I didn't know that monster...It's complicated."

"Can you try to explain?" Sky asked kindly.

The girl shook her head. "W-whoever you are...you need to leave. He'll be coming up here soon! He'll kill you!"

"He's dead," Twilight sighed. "How many times do we have to tell you?"

"There's no way you killed him," the girl went on. "He...he always loved to play with his victims first. He's probably coming up here now!"

"He's dead," Wild repeated. "I know that. I used the Triforce to kill him."

The girl froze. "R-really?"

"I watched it happen," Twilight agreed.

For a second, the girl simply stared into space. Then she laughed out loud, a bright smile spreading across her face. But at the same time, her eyes were filled with great sorrow, and tears of sadness rolled down her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Wind asked.

The girl nodded, wiping her eyes. "He's dead," she said to herself. "He's dead. Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you!"

"Of course," Sky smiled. "That's what heroes like us do!"

"Can you tell us what you knew about him now?" Time asked gently.

"It's okay if you don't want to," his Zelda added.

"No... I can do it," the girl sighed. She put her broken shoe down and sat on the bed shakily. "Let's start over. I'm Zelda."

"I'm Link," Twilight began. Sky, Wild, Wind, and Time repeated the same thing. Their Zeldas introduced themselves.

"Well," this world's Zelda began. "That's… a lot take in."

"Tell me about it!" Tetra agreed.

"But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Zelda continued. "Anyway, the monster you killed...his name was Link, as you've all figured out by now. But he wasn't always like that. He used to be so kind. And... I used to love him.

He wasn't always a monster either. When I first met him at school, he was just a regular guy. He had the most beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair that he never seemed to brush. He was always rather rebellious. Not one for following rules. Our school had a dress code…"

"What's that mean?" Wind asked.

"It means they had to dress a certain way," Time explained.

Zelda nodded. "But he never listened to it. When we got old enough, we started dating. But in our last year at school...something changed. He had found this book in the library. It was an old book that you could tell hadn't read or touched in years. Leather bound. Coated in dust. Old, yellow pages. We would read it together at night."

"What was it about?" Twilight asked.

"The Triforce," Zelda replied. "Obviously, you are all familiar with it. But in this world, it's become almost a legend. A child's fairy tale. But Link became obsessed with finding it. He promised me he'd use its power to create a better world for me."

"Did he find it?" Wind asked excitedly.

"No," Zelda sighed. "He did not...but I found part of it." She showed off the back of her hand. The Triforce of Wisdom gleamed brightly. "With this, I was able to see possible futures sometimes. It would happen randomly. Walking down the hallway at school. Lying in bed. Sometimes even when I was eating. It was like...everything turned white and all I could see was something that would happen if I didn't do anything to change it."

Every Zelda in the room nodded in understanding. All the Links looked bewildered.

"I used to share all my visions with him. Anything and everything, no matter how insignificant. It was through this that I learned of other worlds. Sometimes, I could see terrible calamities happening in lands that weren't ours. I suppose that was the goddesses trying to warn me of what was to come. Eventually, the Triforce of Power appeared on Link's hand."

Everyone in the room shared a worried look. The Triforce of Power was always bad news. "With his new Triforce, he could do almost anything. He brought me small gifts like exotic flowers or pets. But I didn't love him anymore. He was not the person I had come to love. This Link was absorbed in his own power and endless search for the Triforce. He promised he was doing it for me, for our future, but I knew he was lying. And I was finally starting to figure my own powers out. I realized that the terrible things happening in all your worlds happened because of the Triforce of Power. I told him to get rid of it, but he wouldn't."

"That must've been so hard," Sky's Zelda consoled.

Zelda nodded. "He trained with his power every day. He never let me watch. One night, I snuck out to watch him. He was training to do terrible things. Turning plants to stone. Freezing time in certain areas. Creating what I like to call the nothing."

"We've been in that stuff," Twilight growled. "It's awful."

"I know," Zelda sighed. "I almost ran back up the stairs. He didn't hear me, thank the goddesses. But now I was really afraid.

At this point, I was more his pet than anything. He treated me kindly if he was in a good mood. Brought me back flowers and small insects and things from other worlds. If not…" she hesitated. Then she turned around. "Take a look." She undid the buttons on her dress, allowing her back to show. Countless scars covered her back. They were long and thin, and looked like they came from either whips or blades. Possibly both.

"That's horrible," Twilight's Zelda breathed.

"I can't believe he treated you like that!" Tetra cried.

"I wasn't allowed to leave the house," Zelda continued, closing her dress again. "Not even to see my own father. Eventually, Link came home one night seeming particularly pleased with himself. He commanded that I come to the table. Once I was seated, he demanded I give him my Triforce piece. Of course, I complied. He showed off a completed Triforce. I still don't know where he got the Triforce of Courage."

"I bet it was mine," Twilight snarled.

"No, it wasn't," Wild objected. "I tried to use pieces from different worlds, but it didn't work. That's why it took me so long."

"So, it must've been from my world," Zelda sighed. "But anyways, he had the complete Triforce."

"What did he do with it?" Wild asked.

"Wished for ultimate power," Zelda replied. Then she laughed hollowly. "But I suppose the Triforce is a fickle thing. He got what he wished for, yes. But it cost him everything. That was when he became that awful monster. A perfect balance of light and dark magic. What his dark magic couldn't do, his light magic could, and vice versa. Quickly realizing that no one would accept him in the state that he was, he froze time over my entire world, except for me and him. Coated it all in nothing. He created this castle with a snap of his fingers and put me in it. But he began losing his balance. In order to retain his power, he needed to keep his balance of light and dark magic. But with what he was doing, dark was starting to take over. He lost abilities, which of course only infuriated him and sped up the process. He decided he'd ask some of the Zeldas from other worlds if they could help him with that problem."

"He didn't ask very nicely!" Tetra snapped.

There was a nodding of heads from all of the other Zeldas in the room.

"Once he realized you all couldn't help him, he decided to collect all Triforces, to ensure he kept his power. And I'm sure you can finish that story better than I can," Zelda finished.

"What will you do now?" Sky asked.

"I... don't know," Zelda sighed sadly. "Not much I can do, really. Link cursed me to ensure I couldn't ever run away. If I ever leave the castle without his permission, I'll die. And since he's not around to give it to me...I'm stuck here."

"What if the curse is broken now?" Wind asked. "You know, since he's dead!"

"But what if it's not?" Time countered. "The time spell was broken when he died, but the petrification spell wasn't. We have no idea if this was broken or not."

"I can check," Twilight's Zelda offered. "I was taught how to detect magic when I was young."

"Oh, please do," this world's Zelda begged. "If there's any chance I can go home...see Father…"

Twilight's Zelda nodded. She held her right hand up to the other girl's heart. Her Triforce mark pulsed brightly, but she sighed. "It is not broken."

"What does it do?" Zelda questioned. "He never told me. Just promised death."

"It's almost worse than death," Twilight's Zelda muttered. "He had a contingency plan if he ever died. And... you're his contingency plan…" she trailed off, unsure how to explain.

"...W-what are you getting at?" Zelda stammered. She looked fearful.

"Originally, the curse would kill you if you left," Twilight's Zelda explained reluctantly. "But now...if you leave, you'll revive him. Worse than that. You'll...become him. He implanted a piece of his spirit in you. If you leave the castle, it will consume you. I'm sorry."

Zelda stared at her hands as though she couldn't fathom what Twilight's Zelda was proposing. She fell to her knees, putting her head in her hands. Then she looked up, tears streaming from her eyes. "Kill me."

"What?" Tetra exclaimed.

"Kill me," she begged. "Please! I... I can't stay here forever. If the temptation grows too great, and I leave...I would be dooming the entire world. All the worlds."

"He must've assumed you'd leave right away," Time's Zelda concluded.

"A correct assumption," Zelda sighed. "Thank goodness for you, or who knows what would've happened!" she said to Twilight's Zelda.

"We're not killing you," Sky's Zelda insisted.

"But you must!" Zelda exclaimed.

Twilight laughed. "Let's not get all emotional! We're forgetting something. We've got _five_ complete Triforces. I think that should be more than enough power to break this curse."

This world's Zelda smiled. "Oh, thank the goddesses. How foolish of us!"

"Yeah, Link did himself in," Twilight snickered. "He did all the work for us. He collected all the pieces and we just waltzed in and stole them."

"You say that like it was so easy!" Sky scoffed. "It cost me an eye!"

"Well, with the Triforce you could have that eye back if you wanted," Twilight shrugged.

"What are we waiting for?" Wind demanded. "Let's make some wishes!"

Wild nodded. He summoned the Triforce of Courage and Power from the back of his hand. His Zelda summoned hers. She gestured for this world's Zelda to use the golden relic's power. With a bright smile, Zelda rested her hand on the Triforce and closed her eyes.

"Break this curse that Link set upon me," she whispered. The Triforce gleamed brightly, and Zelda was lifted up off the ground, her eyes still closed. Golden light shone from her for a few seconds before it dimmed, and she gracefully landed. She opened her eyes and turned to Twilight's Zelda. "Can you check? Just to make sure?"

"Of course," Twilight's Zelda agreed. She raised her right hand. She smiled. "It is broken."

"Sky, you want to go next?" Twilight asked.

Sky nodded excitedly. He approached the Triforce and rested a hand on it. "Um, can I have my eye back? Please?"

In response, the Triforce glowed once again. Sky was lifted off the ground and surrounded by golden rays of light. When the rays disappeared and Sky was lowered onto the ground again, he once again had two eyes. His new one was the same cerulean shade as it had always been. He rubbed his eye, just to make sure it was really there. Then he laughed out loud. His Zelda laughed too and rushed to embrace him.

"Anyone else need anything?" Twilight questioned.

Wild stepped forward. "I do. But I need a different Triforce. I used this one already."

"What do you need?" his Zelda questioned.

He looked at her, his eyes filled with hope. "I would like my memories back, princess."

"You can use ours," Sky offered. He offered up the Triforce of Courage and Power, and his Zelda offered the Triforce of Wisdom.

"You have my greatest thanks," Wild stated. He put his hand on the Triforce. "Give me the memories I lost 100 years ago." The Triforce gleamed. Wild froze as golden light ran through him. He stared past everyone in the room, as though gazing upon something only he could see. After a few seconds, the light retreated and Wild relaxed. He smiled, the first time any of the others had seen him do so. He looked upon his Zelda with a new kind of understanding.

"Do you remember?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded excitedly. "I remember everything. Mother and Father. How to read. How to write. But, most importantly I think, I remember...how I felt about you." He looked into his Zelda's eyes.

"D-do you still feel that way?" his Zelda questioned hesitantly.

Wild smiled again. "I do."

His Zelda returned his bright smile. The two shared a loving embrace.

Twilight gagged. "Great, now there's two of them," he muttered.

"Oh, shut it!" Sky laughed, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever," Twilight snickered, nursing his shoulder overdramatically. "Anyone else?"

"What about you?" Wind asked.

"Please, kid. We know I'm saving the best for last," Twilight replied.

"I'll go," Time volunteered. "I can get rid of my markings. Be normal again." He approached the Triforce.

"Wait," Sky's Zelda interrupted.

Time paused, waiting for her to continue. He kept his hand on the Triforce.

"You should talk to Malon first," Sky's Zelda stated. "See if she wants that. I'm sure she'll agree if that will make you happy. But if you're doing it for her...you should talk to her first. See what she says. I'm sure your Zelda will be more than happy to lend her Triforce piece if you decide you do wish to do this."

"Why would she care?" Time asked.

"Just trust me," Sky's Zelda insisted. "You might think that those markings mess you up, and that she'll love you more without them, but that's not true. She loves you no matter what. You don't have to believe me on this, but at least have a little conversation, okay?"

"Fine," Time decided. He seemed rather taken aback.

"Okay," Twilight interrupted. "Kid, you need anything?"

Wind shook his head.

"Ladies?" he asked.

The Zeldas looked at each other. No one stepped forward. Twilight smiled. "Alright. Guess that makes it my turn."

"What do you need?" his Zelda asked playfully. "You already have more rupees than you could ever fathom."

"Something rupees could never pay for," Twilight replied. He placed his hand on the Triforce. "Give me the power to overcome Twilight magic without the help of the Master Sword."

This world's Zelda looked nervous hearing the word 'power.'

"It's alright," Sky assured her as gold light enveloped Twilight. "His true love lives in a realm attached to his. I guess he needs the Master Sword to visit her, and he wants to put it back in its pedestal. He's not doing this just to have the power. He wants to see her."

Zelda relaxed. She nodded.

The light disappeared again. Twilight took a deep breath. "Well, I can't test it now. I'll do it when I get home."

"What if it doesn't work?" Sky questioned.

"Please, Sky," Twilight scoffed. "This is the Triforce you're doubting. That's not exactly something I would ever doubt."

Sky laughed. "I guess so."

"What now?" Wind asked. "Everyone's happy, right?" There was a collective nodding of heads from around the room.

"I guess we all go home," Sky shrugged.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

"That brings up a good question," Time began. "How are we going to be doing that?"

"That's easy," this world's Zelda replied. "Link had a room with portals to every world. I wasn't supposed to know about it, but I did a lot of exploring when he wasn't here. I also broke things. But anyways. That was his favorite room in the castle."

"What if they're closed?" Wild asked. "Since he died?"

"If that's the case, Mr. Negative," Twilight teased, "we can use a Triforce again. But we should at least check. I'd hate to waste someone's wish on something like this."

Wild nodded.

"Come on," Zelda stated, walking out of the room. "I'll take you there." Everyone followed behind her as she led them through the maze-like interior of the castle. At last, they stood in a circular room with blood red walls. Placed at regular intervals were portals to all the worlds. They looked much less intimidating than the ones the monster had used to capture all the Zeldas. They looked like paintings almost, depicting an obscure location in each world. Twilight stuck his hand in one of them. "It feels wet," he shuddered. He pulled his hand out. It was dry. He looked disturbed. Time snickered. Sky rolled his eyes.

"Is this it?" Tetra sighed. "We just go home?"

"An old friend once told me that whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow," Time replied. "But whether a parting be forever or merely a short time, that's up to us."

"All philosophical stuff aside," Twilight began, "we should set up a meeting or something."

"Agreed," Sky's Zelda stated. "I don't think any of us will be able to go back to our lives with the knowledge that five other worlds exist beyond our own."

"How about next week?" Wind suggested.

"Works for me, kid," Twilight shrugged.

"We can have meetings every week!" Sky exclaimed excitedly.

"Right in this castle," Wild added.

"Glad to see something good will be coming out of it," this world's Zelda sighed.

"We can be a secret organization!" Wind cried. "And go on secret missions!"

"Well, I don't know about that!" Sky's Zelda laughed. "But I think our plan is good for now."

"And with weekly sessions we can always amend it," Time nodded.

Everyone seemed satisfied. They all entered their own portals, waving goodbye as they went. Only Zelda remained, a sad smile on her face. Once everyone had gone, she practically raced out of the castle, suddenly desperate to be outside for the first time in months.

…

Sky and his Zelda exited their portal. It was inside the great tree in Faron Woods, rather close to the village they had been building. They walked back together, holding hands of course.

"We must inform Father we're both alright," Zelda stated.

"Of course," Sky agreed.

But that didn't end up being necessary. Their classmate from school, Pipit spotted them. He called to everyone who was out working on the houses at the moment. Sky's Loftwing screeched excitedly and flew over, followed by Zelda's. The large bird berated Sky for staying away for too long, but Sky could tell it was just happy he was alright. A few seconds after both Loftwings had landed, the couple had earned themselves a welcome home party. Sky was tackled to the ground by Groose, his friend who had helped him save the world.

"Oh, get off!" Sky laughed.

"No way!" Groose snickered. "You went and saved Zelda all by yourself! Took all the fun!"

Zelda rolled her eyes. She turned her attention to her father, Gaepora. He still had cuts on his wrists and ankles from the chains. "What happened, Father?" Zelda demanded.

"Who cares about me?" he exclaimed. "I'm so happy you're safe!" He crushed her in a loving embrace, tears of relief running down his face.

"I'm fine," Zelda insisted. "What happened?"

"That's how that monster got my Triforce, Zelda," Sky explained.

Zelda's face fell. "Father! I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, Zelda," Gaepora promised. "Link. Did you kill that thing?"

Sky nodded. "It's dead."

"Oh, come on!" Pipit exclaimed. "I've no idea what you are talking about, but who cares? Today is not a day for sorrows! If I remember correctly, we've got a wedding to plan!"

Sky and Zelda smiled brightly.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Twilight and his Zelda exited their portal. Conveniently enough, it was located at the top of the Arbiter's Grounds coliseum. The Mirror of Twilight was still activated. Twilight stared at it longingly.

"Oh, go on," Zelda laughed. "You don't have to escort me home or anything. In fact, I imagine you'd rather not. The nobles are going to be such a mess when I just suddenly turn up."

Twilight sneered. "Yeah, I'd rather stay out of that calamity."

"Well, I'll see you later, Link," Zelda stated, turning to leave.

"See you," Twilight replied. Once Zelda had entered the coliseum, he returned his attention to the Mirror of Twilight. He smiled brightly as he entered. Even though he still wielded the Master Sword, he could feel that he no longer depended on it to stay protected in the Twilight Realm. He stepped out of the mirror, ignoring all the citizens. He waved hello to the castle guards, who let him in without question. He raced through the palace before arriving at Midna's study. The door was slightly ajar. Twilight pushed the door open all the way. Midna looked up from writing reports. When she saw who it was, she smiled brightly.

"Link!" she exclaimed. "You're back!"

"Of course, I am!" Twilight replied. "Did you ever doubt me?"

"When I saw just how pathetic you were without your silly Triforce, yeah kind of," Midna snickered.

Twilight rolled his eyes, his smile growing bigger. "I saved the world. Again."

Midna scoffed. "The world clearly needs to get its act together."

Twilight laughed. "Yeah, it kind of does."

"So…" Midna began awkwardly after a period of silence. "Are you here to stay or…"

"I-I don't know," Twilight admitted. "I have to put the Master Sword back, and I promised Illia I'd explain everything. I also promised Skull Kid I'd play with him once the world was saved, and I've got a meeting next week. And I would need a place to stay, of course."

"Sounds like you're quite busy," Midna sighed. "But don't worry. You're more than welcome to stay in the palace. But...if you're coming back don't you need the Master Sword?"

Twilight smirked. "Not anymore. I used the Triforce to make sure of that."

Midna seemed taken aback. "You used your one wish to make sure you could come back _here_?"

Twilight nodded. "I did. Because Midna I…" he hesitated, then just went for it, "I love you." He looked at the ground, completely unsure how his sarcastic companion would react to that declaration.

For a second, all was silent. Twilight feared he had taken it too far. But then Midna took a deep breath. She approached Twilight. "I... love you too."

They both looked up, both their faces burning red. But they were both smiling. Twilight leaned forward hesitantly. Midna followed suit, and they held onto each other, their lips connecting for the first time. They stayed that way for a few seconds, both of them enjoying the moment they had each been dreaming about for almost a year now.

But a tentative knock on the door caused them to pull apart abruptly. A guard stood in the open door, pretending he hadn't seen what they had been doing. Twilight and Midna quickly extricated themselves from each other.

Midna cleared her throat awkwardly. "What is it?"

"You were expecting my report on the reconstruction efforts, Your Highness," the guard replied quickly.

"Oh yeah," Midna sighed. "I had forgotten that. Thanks."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the guard answered. He handed over the papers he was holding. "You two may continue now."

"N-no, I should go," Twilight stated. "I've got more promises than I can keep track of. Better get started on fulfilling them."

Midna nodded. "I'll be here when you return."

"Probably drooling over yourself," Twilight added. "Just waiting for when your_ brave hero _will return!"

Midna sneered. "Hardly! I have work to do here, you know! You keep distracting me from it!"

"Well, my apologies," Twilight bowed overdramatically.

"Get out of here!" Midna laughed.

"I'm going!" Twilight retorted, walking as slow as he could towards the door.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Time and his Zelda stepped through their portal. It was inside the Temple of Time. "Do you need an escort home, Zelda?" Time asked kindly.

"I can take care of myself," Zelda answered. "But I appreciate the offer. Let me know what you and Malon decide on your markings."

Time nodded, still confused as to why Sky's Zelda had insisted he wait. "Well, if you're alright by yourself I must go check on my wife."

"Of course," Zelda agreed. They walked out of the temple together before heading their own ways.

Time walked across Hyrule Field all the way to Lon Lon Ranch. He knocked on the door of his own house. Malon opened the door, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Her wrists and ankles were still raw from the chains. She froze when she saw Time standing before her. Then she laughed and wrapped her arms around her husband. "You're okay!"

Time returned the embrace. "I am," he agreed.

Malon was crying now. "I thought for sure...when you didn't come home…"

"Shhh," Time soothed. "I'm here now. I'm here now."

Malon nodded, burying herself in Time's strong arms. They stood together for a few seconds, Malon desperately holding onto Time as though she feared he would leave again if she let go. "Can we go inside now?" Time asked gently. "I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

Malon looked worried. "What is it?"

"It's nothing bad," Time promised. "I just don't think we need to have the conversation in the doorway, that's all."

"Well, that's acceptable, I suppose," Malon decided. She led Time into their living room and sat down on the couch. Time sat next to her.

He took a deep breath before beginning. "Zelda and I completed the Triforce. And... I was thinking about wishing to have my markings removed."

"Why?" Malon demanded. "You know I don't care."

Time hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Malon exclaimed. "Did you think otherwise?"

"I-I didn't know," Time stammered.

"Well, I think you should keep them," Malon stated.

"But they're ugly!" Time exclaimed.

"If you want to get rid of them, you can," Malon said. "But I like them. They remind me of just how strong you are. You won a fight against a Deity. That's quite a feat."

Time shook his head. "It took me two years! I met someone who did it in five minutes!"

"You were twelve," Malon sighed. "And I'm not arguing with you. This decision is yours. I'm just giving you my opinion."

Time nodded. "...I'll keep them," he decided. "For you."

Malon smiled. "Good." The couple kissed happily, Malon running her finger fondly over Time's streaks of red on his face.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Wild and his Zelda exited their portal. It had been placed in Zelda's study in Hyrule Castle. Wild looked around, thinking about all the time he had spent in this room. Time that he actually remembered now. Having seventeen years' worth of memories thrust upon you in the space of a second was rather disorienting, but it was definitely worth it. Wild felt like he was drowning in a surplus of information, but he was so happy to have it all.

"What would you like to do now, Zelda?" he asked his princess.

She smiled. "It's been so long since you called me that."

"It's been so long since I've remembered that we used to be close friends," Wild replied. "Before, I only remembered my time as your knight. But now, I remember it all. Remember when we first met? I was only seven, I think. Your father and mine were close friends. The king and his best knight. You and I met at an important dinner in Zora's Domain. That was also when I met Mipha."

"Of course, I remember!" Zelda laughed. "Your father could hardly keep you under control! You wanted to run around and play! It didn't matter with who...you were my only friend back then. All the other children resented me because of my royal blood. But you didn't care."

"I remember all that!" Wild exclaimed happily. "But...why did I get so...closed off? I'm sure I've got that information up here somewhere, but my head's kind of a mess right now."

Zelda sighed. "When you were only ten, you showed so much potential as a knight that your father sent you to train five years early. It was too much for you. You had no friends. I could never see you, since I was busy trying to awaken my power. You responded to the pressure by closing yourself off to all emotion."

Wild nodded. "Oh yeah. I can remember that now."

Zelda smiled. "Even though that memory is less than pleasant, I'm just happy you have it."

Wild nodded. "Me too."

"Well," Zelda began. "I better get busy. I've got a book to write about parallel worlds!"

"You think the idea will be accepted?" Wild questioned.

Zelda shrugged. "We won't know unless we try, will we?"

"I suppose not," Wild admitted.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. I am earning no profit from this story other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others. I hope you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to let me know what you think by giving this chapter a review.**

Wind and Tetra exited their portal. Unfortunately, it was located on the top of the Forsaken Fortress. "Well, now what?" Tetra demanded. "We haven't got a boat or anything!"

"I guess we could use the Triforce," Wind suggested.

Tetra smirked. "Yeah! We'll have the coolest boat ever! Maybe we could even make it fly!"

"Let's not get too ambitious," Wind said quickly. He had never been very fond of heights.

"Fun killer," Tetra muttered. They climbed down the fortress and stood before its docks. Wind offered his two Triforce pieces to Tetra.

"Do whatever you want," he shrugged. "Just please don't make it fly."

"Fine," Tetra sighed.

She rested her hand on the complete Triforce. "Give us the coolest boat that ever sailed the seas!" she exclaimed happily. The Triforce glowed. Golden light flowed from it, drifting out of the small docks and into the open sea. It formed the silhouette of an enormous pirate ship, before beginning to solidify. The boat was the biggest thing Wind had ever seen. It had at least twenty cannons, all of which were steel and seemed to have infinite cannonballs. The sails were decorated with the Triforce symbol. The back was equipped with steel tubes that had gunpowder in them. Rocket boosters. It was painted red and blue. Wind was willing to bet that the shining sides of the boat were some invincible metal.

"Woah," Tetra breathed. "Now _that_, is a boat! Come on!" She jumped in the water and swam out to it. Wind followed behind. They climbed up a ladder that unrolled as they approached. Tetra headed straight for the jewel-studded wheel. She wrapped her hands around it. The engine that powered the rockets roared to life. Tetra whooped as the boat began speeding away, without even bothering to have the wind in its sails. Wind held on for dear life.

The End

**Author's Note: Well, there you go! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always feel free to leave a review and let me know what you thought!**


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